The True Prince
by PyroManiacNeko
Summary: What if Soren had been raised by his father? Would things be different? .Starts before FE9. .Main story complete.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

This story contains spoilers. Big ones. One of which is the main plot. To summarize this spoiler without revealing too much, during the character endings for FE10, if certain criteria are filled, Almedha meets Soren, she realizes _something_, she tells Kurthnaga. This story revolves around the _something_. If you don't like spoilers, this story is not for you. Everyone else, enjoy this pathetically short prologue. Oh, and_ Italicized_ things are thoughts, like with a Sending Stone.

* * *

The prince wasn't in his chambers. He wasn't in the library, nor was he in the courtyard, armory or the stables. Ena was tempted to believe that he had finally just packed up and left, but like herself, he had a reason to stay in the keep. In fact their reasons for staying were very closely related, in more ways than one.

Giving up on the conventional searching method, the dragon checked to make sure no one was watching, and then pulled out a dark blue crystal. Holding the stone in her hands, Ena called to the prince.

_"Yes?"_ the prince sounded irritated, as if Ena's telepathic call had interrupted something important.

_"The king sent me to find you. Your presence is required in what appears to be a meeting of great importance." _Ena forced as much hatred into the royal title as possible.

The prince picked up the Elwind tome he had been studying and headed for the place he knew the meeting would be taking place. He knew the keep like the back of his hand, after all, he'd lived there his whole life. Reaching the heavy oak door, he took a moment to mentally prepare himself for what promised to be a very stressful experience.

Upon entering the room he glanced around, taking note on who was present. The Four Riders were, of course, present, as were several other generals. Also present was the one person the prince hated above everything and everyone else. His father, King Ashnard. Soren had a feeling that whatever was about to happen, it wouldn't end well.

* * *

Well, there you go. If you have any questions, comments or constructive critisism, please review. And this is my first FE fic, so be nice.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you, everyone who read the last chapter, and especially those who reviewed! I have bad news though. I have a schedule from hell this semester, so don't expect too many updates for the next five months or so. I have more to say, but it can wait until the end of the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

As he walked down the hall leading to the area where the wyverns were usually kept, Soren took time to contemplate the irony of his current situation. He had given his father a plan he knew could not fail, while the plan he had made for himself could go wrong in more ways than he could count.

The plan of attack he had created at his fathers request was completely foolproof. First, the Daein army would ambush the Crimea border patrols, ensuring that the Crimean army would have no warning of their approach. From there it was a simple matter of killing all who stood in their way. Not even the famed Lord Renning could stand against the King and his viscous 'wyvern' mount. Crimea would fall within the month.

Soren's personal plan, however, was almost suicide. He would have to get out of the keep undetected, not so difficult considering most of the guards were on their way to Melior. He would also have to get past the Begnion border patrols, who had a reputation for straying quite a ways from the border they were supposed to be patrolling, as well as the Goldoan patrols, Which would be a feat and a half, in and of itself. Add into this that he would be, for all intents and purposes, defenseless during a battle. The constant movement of airborne battle made it nigh impossible to concentrate on spells, hence why you never see any mounted mages. It would take a miracle to get to Elpis in one piece.

And yet, that's exactly what he planned to do. Reaching the end of the hallway, he found himself in what would appear to be a courtyard to the casual observer, but in reality was the wyverns' 'stable'. A regular stable would be too cramped to accommodate the flying mounts, instead they were kept in moderately sized open-air cells. The prince headed to one of the few cells that was currently occupied, one that housed a wyvern that was a dull grey in color, but had intelligent sea-green eyes. Vritra had been a gift from the king, given to Soren upon reaching the rank of sage. Yet more irony. He had only ridden her a few times, and only once had it been for as great a distance as now.

Soren climbed onto the wyvern's back and held onto the ridges along her spine as she jumped into the clear night air. As Vritra flew toward Elpis, Soren pulled the sending stone from a pocket hidden in his robes and for only the second time in three years (the first being right after he made up his mind to go to Goldoa) spoke to his mother. He had no idea what she looked like, and she only had a vague idea, but this was to be expected. After all, Almedha lived in a palace in Parmenie, and Soren lived in Nevassa, and they had never met face to face. Perhaps because of this, their conversations never lasted more than a few minutes, and were few and very far between. This one was no different and mostly consisted of the queen telling the prince that he was being foolish and should just stay in the keep as he had told his father he would, and the prince telling the queen that he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. It ended the same way as most of their conversations as well.

_"Be careful, Senerio."_

_"I always am, mother."_

And with that, Soren returned his attention to keeping Vritra on course, which was rather difficult thanks to the herd of deer almost directly below them.

* * *

Three days later, Soren could finally see the Goldoan city of Elpis. His journey had been oddly free of encounters with patrol groups, and he suspected Kurthnaga had something to do with it. He landed about a mile from the city walls, to avoid being seen by the Goldoan citizens, who would probably not react well to having a Branded, or Parentless as they called people like him, fly into their city. He waited, still mounted on Vritra's back, ready to take flight should the need arise. He didn't have to wait long. Not ten minutes later, his uncle Kurthnaga ran up to the side if the wyvern and literally pulled Soren from the saddle, asking him questions about his trip as he did so.

"Senerio! Are you all right? Did you have trouble with border patrols? Did you have to fly through any storms? How have you been? I haven't seen you in so long! You look . . . exactly the same as you did two years ago . . . "

It was true. In fact, if Soren had decided to wear his old black robes, the scene would be nearly identical to when he had met the dragon prince for the first time, two years ago. Neither had changed much appearance-wise.

"That is to be expected, Kurthnaga, and I'm fine."

If Soren had been speaking to Ena, his tone probably would have earned him a slap, or at the very least a glare, but Kurthnaga just laughed and pulled him toward the main gates to the city. Before entering Elpis, Soren donned a light brown cloak and pulled the hood over his head, enough to cover his Brand. While most dragon laguz had similar marks on their foreheads, theirs were usually much more complex and detailed.

As they walked through the streets, Soren, or Senerio as he was known among dragons, told his uncle the details of Ashnard's plot, using the telepathic link that all dragon laguz were capable of using. However, because Soren was only half dragon, he had to use a sending stone to communicate to anyone he wasn't closely related to, regardless of distance. It took him a while to finish his narrative, especially since Kurthnaga would make him start again if he didn't include sufficient details. Soren wasn't surprised by this behavior, he was guilty of it himself. As the sage looked out the window of his room in the mansion he would be spending the next several days in, he was struck with the realization that Goldoa felt more like home to him than Daein ever did. He really hated irony.

* * *

Several weeks after he arrived in Goldoa, Soren, Kurthnaga, Gareth, and a few red dragon soldiers/guards were on a walk along the coast. It was while on this trip that they saw something very peculiar, a ship of beorc design being attacked by Kilvas pirates. The soldiers went ahead to prevent the battle from spilling onto Goldoan soil, while the other three followed at a slower pace. They arrived just in time to prevent the soldiers from tearing a blue-haired beorc to shreds.

* * *

Okay, first note: You should have noticed that the laguz call Soren 'Senerio'. This is his name in the Japanese version, but it has a different story here. I decided that 'Soren' was what Ashnard named him, and that 'Senerio' would be a Goldoan name that Almedha chose for him. As a side note, I looked it up and 'Soren' means 'God of War'. If anyone has any suggestion on what 'Senerio' could mean, please let me know.

Second: I came to a realization as I was writing this. I had planned to do Radiant Dawn once I finished Path of Radiance, but it occured to me that Soren would never be stupid enough to sign a contract without reading it first. Hence no blood pact. Hence I'm, for lack of a better term, screwed. Suggestions on how I could make this work would be very much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, I didn't expect to update this soon, but I had a long weekend, so here we are. I wanted to make this chapter a bit longer, but I just bought Super Smash Bros. Brawl this morning and I want play it some more. Once again thanks to the readers and especially reviewers.

* * *

"Cease this at once! What do you think you're doing?"

At Kurthnaga's words the Goldoan soldiers returned to their humanoid forms. Soren noted with some interest that the beorc they had been ready to attack did not look frightened, so much as annoyed. He glanced at the ship quickly and, seeing nothing and no one of interest, turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Man of the beorc. My countrymen were discourteous. I ask that you forgive them." Kurthnaga addressed the beorc with as much courtesy as he would have addressed a Goldoan noble, assuming that there were any, besides the royal family.

"Who are you?" The beorc obviously wasn't worried about manners. He addressed the dragon prince in much the same way one might address a child.

"I am Kurthnaga, prince of Goldoa. And this is my . . . friend, Se-Soren." The beorc looked at Soren, probably wondering what a beorc sage was doing in a laguz country.

"Now we're getting somewhere. Thanks to some Kilvas pirates, our ship's run aground. Can you lend us any help?"

_"Are all people from the beorc nations this . . . direct?"_ Soren was also taken aback by the beorc's lack of manners, this was the first time he had seen someone other than himself speak to the dragon in such a way. The beorc seemed to take the lack of reply as a 'no'.

"What is it? You can't help us can you?"

"It's not that. I was . . . taken off guard. My apologies."

"No, I didn't -- If anyone should apologise here, it's me. My father had a great deal to say about my lack of etiquette. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Hahaha! It takes much more than that to offend me. Just ask Soren."

"Kurthnaga . . . " Everyone was slightly shaken by the single word. Not only because it was the first time throughout the exchange that he had spoken, but because the half-growl that accompanied it clearly meant that if the topic was not changed in a hurry, someone was going to get hurt.

"See what I mean? I am more concerned with the misfortune your journey has met. Of late, the ravens have grown ever more barbarous, and this cannot stand. My father will lodge a formal protest with Kilvas, I assure you. In the meantime, we shall help you with your ship. Gareth, direct the others to push their ship free."

After many exclamations at the size and strength of the dragons, and one short, good-natured argument between the blue-haired beorc and a girl who Soren assumed was his sister, the ship was once again floating freely. After this the conversation turned to supplies, and Soren, by this time quite bored, opened his spell book and began reading. He would have been perfectly content to do nothing more than read for the rest of the day, but his uncle apparently had other plans for him.

"Wait!" The sudden shout caused Soren to drop the book and look around him in alarm. The beorc were preparing to leave, and all but the first beorc were back on the ship.

"Did we forget something?" The beorc seemed just as confused as the sage.

"As a matter of fact, you did." Kurthnaga picked up the book, and shoved it and its owner toward the ship. "Soren may be of some help should you run into any more ravens on your journey. He may not be very diplomatic, but he is very skilled in wind magic."

"Wait, what? Kurthnaga you can't just-"

"That seems like a good idea. You can never have too many magic-users around, and I see no reason why Nasir would object."

Despite his many protests, after a quick goodbye and promise to look after Vritra from Kurthnaga, Soren found himself being welcomed as the newest member of the Greil Mercenaries.

* * *

After being introduced to everyone aboard the ship be the beorc, whose name he now knew was Ike, a crew member came to inform Soren that the captain wanted to speak with him. Soren had heard Ike mention Nasir right before his kidnaping, so he wasn't too surprised to find himself sitting across from the white dragon. 

"What are _you_ doing here?" The look Nasir was giving him wasn't a glare, but it was close.

"I suppose you've heard about my hand in the invasion of Crimea?" Nasir nodded. "Well, after the army departed, I left for Goldoa, which is where I've been since the war started. Kurthnaga forced me to come aboard, and so here I am." Now Nasir _was_ glaring so Soren continued. "I want to help them. I know that I am at least partially to blame for this whole disaster, and I want to do what I can to make up for it. Is that girl really Crimea's princess?"

This last answer seemed to satisfy Nasir, for he told the prince that yes, the girl really was the princess, and that he would not tell the others about the princes heritage if he wished it to remain a secret.

* * *

"Hey." 

Soren looked up from the book he was reading to see Ike standing beside him.

"Hello commander."

"You should get some sleep, it's late." Late was an understatement. It was past midnight. Soren had been reading by the light of an oil lantern.

"I will, just as soon as I finish." He did not like to be interrupted when he was reading.

"What kind of spell book is that? I've seen some of Ilyanas, but this looks much more complicated."

"It isn't a spell book per se. While I was in Goldoa, I developed an interest in galdrar. This is a book of various chants and songs that the heron tribe used to sing. Although I can't sing them myself, I still find them interesting."

"I see. Well, make sure you get some sleep tonight. I don't want to have to tell prince Kurthnaga that you died of exhaustion."

"I will. Good night, commander."

* * *

Ok, back to playing SSBB! 


	4. Chapter 4

Heh heh. I almost submitted this without spellchecking it first. Anyway, since there is a LOT of dialogue in here from the actual game, I'm going to assume that you either know who's speaking in those parts, or that you can figure it out. If not, just ask for clarification or go look it up in a game script. The one I use is on gamefaqs. Once again, than you to all readers and especially reviewers!

By noon the next day, Soren was fairly comfortable around the mercenaries. He had been nervous at first, especially around the two beast tribe laguz and the girl who he recognized as a Daein soldier. Thankfully, the laguz were not able to identify him as a Branded, the strong scent of iron and steel was more that enough to disguise his scent, and the girl, Jill, was not of very high rank, and unlike her father, she had never seen the prince up close. The other beorc were perfectly clueless, mistaking his Brand as the mark of a spirit charmer. This was no coincidence; it had been Soren's primary motivation for learning magic. The fact that he chose to specialize in wind magic was also planned out. Although widely regarded as the weakest of the three variations of anima magic, it served to nullify his natural weakness to thunder magic, which was seen as the strongest.

"Soren, can I ask you something?" Despite the fact that they had only known each other for about a day, Soren felt some kind of bond with Ike. It was because of this that he refrained from informing Ike that he really hadn't given the sage a choice in the matter. He settled for something more polite.

"Of course." Although Ike had no way of knowing, this response was much more polite than even the Black Knight could hope for.

"Do you live in Goldoa? Or were you just visiting?"

"Visiting."

"But aren't Goldoa's borders closed to, well, everyone?"

"For the most part, yes. But as with everything, there are exceptions."

"So where do you live then? In Begnion?"

"..." It would have been much easier, and potentially safer, to lie and say yes, but Soren despised lying. Even in situations like this, he preferred to tell half-truths, or simply not answer the question.

"Not Begnion? Crimea then?"

"N-no . . . "

"Well that just leaves Daein. Am I right?" Soren nodded slightly, keeping his eyes on the sea. "I suppose it doesn't matter, just because the king is evil, it doesn't mean that his subjects are."

The sage let out a sigh of relief. He was safe from discovery, for now. He couldn't help noticing, however, that the mercenary commander sounded slightly bitter. He was about to ask Ike about it, but Nasir came at that moment to inform Ike that a messenger from Begnion had arrived, and wanted to speak with Elincia.

"A Begnion envoy? How did she know about this ship?"

"Hmmm . . . Perhaps she had word from King Gallia . . . On the other hand, this is Begnion we're speaking of. I imagine it has spies in every corner of the continent. Perhaps one of those spies in the source of her information."

"So we shouldn't be surprised that she knows about Princess Elincia, right?"

"Right, however . . . It's strange that Begnion should send an envoy to meet the princess, especially when they do not officially acknowledge her."

"What do you mean?"

"It is a complicated matter. You see, the envoy is essentially an extension of the empress herself. Both Crimea and Daein were once part of Begnion. Both nations have only recently splintered from the theocracy. I can't fathom why the empress would extend the courtesy of an envoy to a nation she must consider somewhat beneath her. She must be planning something."

"'Beneath her'? That is somewhat harsh, don't you think?"

"Harsh, perhaps, but it's true. I refuse to censor myself simply to hide the bitterness of the truth."

"Soren, even I would question the tactfulness of your words."

"As I said, I will not censor myself. However, I will try to be more diplomatic."

"Ike, Nasir. You've no need to scold Soren. His words are just that. They do me no harm." The princess was obviously unaware that magic spells were also just words.

"I'm glad to hear that, Princess, but he should mind his manners."

"Deciding how we ought to treat this envoy is a more pressing issue. Princess, will you meet her and hear her message?"

"I believe I must. We gain nothing by refusing to see her. Let us meet with the envoy."

* * *

"Princess Elincia of Crimea, I presume . . . " The envoy, a falcoknight, seemed like she knew all along that the Princess would choose to meet with her. Soren was a bit worried when he saw her. On his first trip to Goldoa, he had crossed paths with a flight of Begnion's holy guard. Although he didn't know her name, Soren recognized her as the woman who had been in command. Luckily she didn't seem to recognize him.

"Yes."

"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Tanith. I am deputy commanding officer of Begnion's holy guard."

"I must ask, what would Begnion want of me that she would send her holy guard to greet me?"

"The apostle has learned of you, Princess Elincia, and she has come here to meet with you personally. The duty falls upon me to take you to her now."

"The apostle? Am I to meet - - Surely the apostle has better things to do than . . . "

"Will you accompany me?"

"I suppose that I . . . "

"We are the Princess's escorts, and we will be coming with her. I hope you understand."

"Of course."

"Then yes, I will go with you. Thank you."

Soren would have told them that they were being far too trusting, but a Pegasus knight came to inform them that the apostle's ship was under attack from members of the bird tribe, most likely ravens, or crows as the knight called them.

Well, one thing led to another, and the mercenaries soon found themselves aiding the Begnion forces. Something was bothering the Daein prince though. Although the 'pirates' flew no flag and wore no crests, he was sure he'd seen a good number of them in the ranks of the Daein army. But why would Kilvas help Daein? Why would Daein seek help from Kilvas? None of it made sense.

* * *

"That's it. It looks like the dust is finally starting to settle."

"It looks like the ravens took flight as soon as the holy guard arrived. The other assailants fled, too."

"Then our job here is done. Crows are one thing, but what were those men doing with them?"

"Yes, I thought that was odd, too."

"They looked like pirates, but they certainly didn't act like them."

"True. They weren't interested in treasure, and their soldiers definitely were trained fighters. But who were they? Which country did they serve? Was this an attempt on the apostles life?"

"It's possible. The apostle is the symbol of the Begnion Empire itself. The apostle is it's empress. If she were to perish, it's fair to say Begnion itself would perish as well."

"I see . . . "

Once again, the conversation was interrupted, this time by a Begnion soldier and Tanith talking loudly about how the apostle was missing. After a comment on the stupidity of the apostle, amazingly not made by Soren, the group split up and began searching for the apostle.

* * *

"Soren . . . about what I said earlier . . . "

"You've said quite a lot of things today. You'll have to be more specific."

"About the way you phrase things."

"I...I ought to apologize for that. It's gotten me into some very bad situations before."

"No, don't apologize. It's been bothering you, hasn't it?"

"Well . . . "

"Don't take it personally. I'm no better, you know. Your ability to speak plainly the things others won't is part of what makes you brilliant. Others are too bound by courtesy . . . with you, I get the feeling that what you say is exactly what you think."

"Well . . . yes . . . Thank you, Ike."

"Now, about that missing apostle . . . "

"Oh . . . !"

"You found her?"

"No, I don't think so. But there's a child stowing away in here!"

"Another one?" Soren was confused by this, until he remembered someone saying that the thief Sothe had also snuck on board.

"She must be some aristocrat's daughter. Probably slipped on from the Begnion ship . . . It was a hectic battle. She must have been frightened and hid herself here in the confusion. Are you going to help her?"

"Well, we can't just leave her. Hey, are you alright?" The girl had stood up, and although she didn't seem seriously injured, she was being careful to not put weight on her left foot.

"I-I'm . . . fine . . . "

"Hey, don't be scared!"

"Uh . . . Wh-who might you be? You don't look like a laguz. Perhaps a new recruit?"

"No. I'm a mercenary. I was hired by Princess Elincia."

"The Crimean princess? Ouch!"

"What's wrong? Oh, you hurt your foot. Let me see."

"Hold! Do not approach me! Hey, I told you not to- Oooouch! You're hurting me! You fool!!"

"Looks like the bone's not broken. Still, we'd better have Mist take a look at it just in case."

"Oh? What? What are you doing!?"

"Just hush up and hold on to me. There's my sister. She can heal that foot of yours right up." Ike had picked up the girl and was now carrying her toward Mist, with a slightly amused Soren following.

"Are you trying to help me? Shouldn't you be elsewhere?"

"I'm supposed to be looking for some sort of apostle person. But I think there are enough other people looking, and I'd rather help the injured first."

"Ha . . . I see. This is indeed . . . "

"Hm? What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. If that's the case, I accept your help."

"Ike! Any luck finding the apostle?" Mist had stopped searching for a moment and had noticed her brother and the girl. When she heard Mist, Titania also stopped searching.

"Nope. All I found was a little lost child."

"Hey, she's quite a cutie."

"Mist, do you think you can use your staff to heal this kid?"

"Yeah. Is she hurt?"

"Just her foot . . . But maybe she bumped her head, too. She's been mumbling complete gibberish since I picked her up."

"I kept silent, blaming these antics on your ignorance, but I can no longer tolerate your manners!"

"Huh? What's wrong? It's your foot, isn't it?"

"Prepare yourselves, peasants!" Soren found this statement almost humorous. Almost.

"Prepare? For what?"

"You stand in the presence of Sanaki, empress of Begnion! I am the apostle, the voice of the goddess!"

* * *

Feel free to ignore this note. It's not that important. In fact, it's probably better for your sanity if you don't read this. Anyway, there's this thing called Pokemon Live!. It's pretty much Pokemon the musical. While I was writing this I was listening to the Pokemon Live! soundtrack, and I realized that it goes with FE9. All you have to do is replace 'Team Rocket' with 'Daein Army' and 'Giovanni' with 'Ashnard' and it could work. Well, I thought it was interesting. Ok, I'm done. Sorry about that.


	5. Chapter 5

Here you go, chapter five! There's not near as much game dialogue here as in the last chapter, and I'm sorry that there was so much before. It was one of those parts where there isn't much you can change. Hopefully that won't happen again. Thank you to readers and especially reviewers! Enjoy!

* * *

Everyone was so shocked by Sanaki's revelation that they didn't notice Soren backing away from the group. The sage knew it would seem strange to simply walk away from the empress of Begnion, but it was better than staying and risking discovery. If she knew about Elincia, then she undoubtedly had heard about Daein's 'Spirit Charming Prince', which was what many people in Daein knew him as. Being discovered now, surrounded by people who had every reason to hate him, would be just about the wort case scenario possible.

As thanks for helping the apostle, the Holy Guard took the group to Sienne on their flying mounts. The prince became more and more nervous with every beat of the pegasus' wings. The fact that he, along with Mist, were riding with Tanith didn't help.

Despite the situation, Soren had to fight back a smile as he remembered the nickname that Kurthnaga had given him years ago when he had first gone to Goldoa. The dragon had been less than pleased with his nephew's negative attitude and had started calling him 'Worst Case Senerio'.

* * *

Immediately after arriving at the capital, Ike and Elincia had been taken to a meeting with the apostle and the senators of Begnion, and everyone else was told to relax, enjoy themselves and make themselves at home in the massive cathedral. Although Soren found it next to impossible to relax, he was able to find something to take his mind off things. There was a market near the Mainal cathedral, and there was so much noise that he could hardly hear himself think, which is just what he wanted.

As he walked through the busy streets he casually glanced at the many stalls, but one caught his eye. The merchant, who seemed to be doing good business, was selling hand-carved wooden instruments. Soren picked up a small flute and, after giving it a quick inspection, bought it along with a leather case, which he tied to the silk sash around his waist.

Soren spent the rest of the day in his room, studying the book of Galdrar and playing the simpler songs on the flute. The sun was setting when he was interrupted by a knock on his door. He opened it to find a very exhausted Ike. The sage invited the mercenary in and shut the door behind him.

"If I have to spend one more minute listening to those stuck-up senators, I swear I'll-"

"I take it your meeting with Empress Sanaki was less than enjoyable."

"You have no idea. I can't believe how arrogant these nobles can be. Are they all like this in Daein too?"

"Most, but not all." Soren didn't consider himself to be overly arrogant. Unlike most nobles, he would admit when he was wrong.

"Did you have to deal with them a lot?"

"Well . . . "

"Oh no, you're a noble, are you?"

"Unfortunately. I've spent much of my life perfecting the fine art of subtlety. That is, saying exactly what I think, and then getting out of the way before they can understand what I meant."

"And your parents are okay with you going to Goldoa?"

"Probably not. My father," Soren couldn't quite keep the hatred out of his voice at this point, but Ike didn't seem to notice, "doesn't know that I left, and my mother would definitely prefer it if I didn't do things to provoke him. What about you? Do your parents approve of you running around saving princesses?"

"My mother died when I was young, and my father was recently killed by the Black Knight."

"I-I'm sorry." He was suddenly dizzy. Was that the bond that Soren had felt with Ike? That by helping his father in his plan, he had started a chain of events that killed his newest friend's father?

"Don't be. It's not like you had anything to do with it."

"..."

"You don't look to good. Are you feeling sick?"

"N-no, I'm just tired. It's late . . . "

"It is, isn't it? Well, good night."

As soon as Ike left, Soren collapsed on the bed, holding his head in his hands. His mind was racing in a million directions at once. How did this happen? Was Ike's father so important or powerful that the Black Knight had been sent to kill him? Or was the Black Knight acting on his own? Would any of this had happened if he hadn't gotten himself involved? These questions, and hundreds more haunted his mind as he drifted into a restless sleep.

* * *

For the next several days, the sage avoided contact with the others, especially Ike and Mist, as much as possible. This became impossible, however, when the apostle decided to hire them.

"I didn't expect this."

"Expect what?"

"Your reaction. I'd have thought that you would be spouting and fuming at the thought of working for the apostle."

"If Princess Elincia can tolerate endless social gatherings to judge Begnion's mood and garner her favor, the least I can do is help her earn points by running an errand or two."

"Hmm . . . "

"I-Ike, They're coming."

"So we lay in wait for them here, right?"

"Y-yes. T-the apostle told us to stop the merchants and seize their cargo. This seems to be the best spot for an ambush."

"All right. I don't know who we're facing, but we're on the job. Let's do this right!"

* * *

A bit of game dialogue, but not too much, right? Anyway, I've been thinking that I might write a few short stories about Soren's life before the war when I'm done writing this, including Radiant Dawn. I was just wondering if anyone would be interested in reading that and, if you are, if there are any particular events or situations that you'd like to see, or any questions you would want answered? Let me know through review, PM, or e-mail.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm sorry this took so long, I really am. I meant to update two weeks ago, but I was moving into a new house so I didn't have much free time or access to the internet. Even after the internet got hooked up, there was a blizzard outside and I really didn't feel like doing anything other than sit beside the heater and read. Then the next weekend my mom made me get out of the house so we went to the book store, and stopped at the used game store on the way back. I spent more than fifty dollars on used games, and spent Saturday playing them, and on Sunday Mario Kart Wii came out and I got distracted once again. Anyway, to make up for the wait, this chapter covers all of the Begnion stuff. Thank you to the readers and reviewers, and enjoy!

* * *

So far, the ambush was going according to plan. Their opponents relied too much on brute strength, and succumbed quickly to Soren and Ilyana's magic. The fog did cause some problems though. Soren had no trouble with it-he could hear the enemy coming from quite a distance away-but the others were having problems locating their opponents. This was especially problematic for those who relied on ranged attacks. More than once the Wind Sage had almost been fried by one of Ilyana's thunder spells, a frightening experience for one who's natural instincts told him to avoid lightning at all costs.

It seemed the battle would be over quickly, but then the leader released some of their "cargo." Soren stopped dead when he saw them. To the others, they must have seemed like regular beast tribe laguz, but the look in their eyes was too wild, too vicious. The Feral Ones. He was so shocked by them that by the time he didn't realize he was their primary target until one pounced toward him, claws and fangs bared. Luckily for him, the cat, Lethe, had been paying attention and disposed of the twisted laguz before it could reach its target.

"I knew having_ children _on the field would only be a burden. If you're that scared you should go to the back and let us competent fighters do the work," she sneered at him before lunging at the remaining laguz.

Just as she got close enough to attack, the Feral One was engulfed in flames, and although she managed to avoid being burned, the fur on her tail was badly singed. Soren didn't even give her a glance as he walked past, Elfire Tome in hand. There was something about her that irritated him to no end.

Ike finished off the leader barely a minute later, and the group gathered the cargo and headed back to report to the Apostle.

* * *

While Ike met with the Empress, Soren had the slightly more appealing job of writing up a report for the previous battle, and when he saw that the previous reports were almost unreadable he decided to rewrite those as well. Long ago, he had found that tasks such as these were perfect for keeping his mind off things. Recently, this had become impossible through any other methods. Now he knew that aside from indirectly murdering his friend's father, the Feral Ones were loose in Tellius. They would no doubt kill dozens, if not hundreds of innocents. They would be added to the ever-growing list of people who had died because of him. After all, as Ena had once said, the Feral Ones could not have been created without his 'help'.

Before his thoughts could go any further, the sage grabbed one of the account books and began double- and triple-checking the numbers. The newest member's debts had been repaid at huge cost to the company, and if even one number was a single digit off, it could cause problems in the future.

Soren worked long into the night, only stopping when his hand was shaking so much that he couldn't hold the feather pen without splattering ink everywhere. Thankfully it was very late, so other than a few servants, there was no one on the halls. This suited him just fine, he was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now. Needless to say he was more than a bit annoyed when he opened the door to his room to find Nasir leaning against a wall.

"You're certainly getting used to the life of a mercenary. Daein's 'Spirit Charming Prince' killing for money-I never thought I'd see the day." Nasir was obviously amused. Soren was not.

"I might as well get paid for it. People have been dying because of me my entire life."

"And at least one person has been enslaved. We mustn't forget that. Well, I'm going to bed, sweet dreams." The laguz didn't even bother disguising the mockery in the last two words. He'd learned enough about the prince from Ena to know that after that reminder, he wouldn't be sleeping at all that night.

* * *

The next day found the mercenaries in the desert, on another assignment from Empress Sanaki. Just as Nasir had predicted, Soren was unable to sleep the previous night, but now the oppressive heat was making it hard for him to stay awake. He didn't notice that Ike was talking to him until the mercenary had grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

"I-I'm sorry, commander. I was distracted. What were you saying?"

"Well, I was asking if you if there was something wrong, but obviously there is. What is it? Did something happen?"

"O-oh. It's . . . nothing. The heat's getting to me. It's nothing for you to worry about."

He knew Ike was still talking, but it was impossible for him to concentrate long enough to listen to what he was saying and come up with an intelligent response. It was taking most of his energy just to keep his eyes open.

"Soren!"

"Huh? W-what is it?"

"Are you sure you should be fighting in your state? You look ready to collapse. I'm sure Ilyana, Sothe and the others can handle things."

"N-no, I'll be fine. Besides, unless Ilyana can master wind and fire magic in the next few minutes, she won't be much use against the laguz ahead."

"I guess that's true. Wait, how do you know we're going to be fighting laguz?!"

Before Soren could give an explanation, two of the bandits came out of hiding. The shorter one was saying something, although the sage couldn't figure out what it was.

The battle that followed the exchange was one big blur in Soren's mind. The only thing that stood out, and the only part of the battle he remembered, was one green tiger that didn't seem to have to revert back to his humanoid form, but was anything but feral. He would have finished the tiger off, but just as he was summoning the fire spirits to him for the final attack, his vision started to dim.

* * *

When he awoke some time later, the sage was back at the Mainal Cathedral. When he saw Rhys sitting at his bedside, he tried to sit up, not wanting to appear weaker than he must seem. Seeing this, the bishop couldn't help but smile. His fellow magic-user didn't appear to be any older than fourteen, but he was so determined to do everything himself.

"Here, let me help. How are you feeling?" Now that he was sitting up, Soren could see through the window and was shocked to see that the sun was setting.

"What happened?"

"You collapsed in the desert, and one of the pegasus knights brought you back. Tanith, I think."

"Where's-"

"Ike? He's in another meeting with Apostle Sanaki. But he did tell me that under no circumstances are you to leave this room, preferably this bed, until he says otherwise."

"I see . . . "

"He's really worried about you, you know. He almost had a heart attack when you fainted."

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Ike visited Soren the next morning to see how he was doing, and also to inform him that he would not be coming on their next mission. Of course, Soren had objected to this, but Ike wouldn't change his mind. He did, however, give Soren permission to leave the room, as long as he stayed within the Cathedral.

Ike had left over an hour ago, and without anything better to do, Soren found himself wandering the halls with no particular destination in mind. It was during this time that he ran into Tanith.

"Hello there. I see your feeling better."

"Yes. I heard you were the one who brought me back here. Thank you." Unconsciously, the prince's eyes were drawn to the blade Tanith wore. Even though it was sheathed, he could sense the wind spirits dwelling inside it.

"This may sound strange, but have we met before? You seem familiar."

"...I have never been to Begnion before now, and have never before spoken to a member of the Holy Guard. The chances of us having met before now are very low."

"That's true. You're friends should be returning soon. I was on my way to greet them, would you like to join me?"

"Um . . . no. I'd rather not." He might have done away with any suspicions she might have had, but Soren still didn't feel comfortable spending any more time with this woman than necessary. Instead, he went to the library.

Before he could so much as decide what he would want to read, Titania ran up to him to inform him of everything that had happened, including the heron that had gotten away. When she finished her story, she informed him that Ike had deemed searching a forest a simple enough task that Soren could help. Thankful to have something to do, the sage followed her to the courtyard, and from there they all left, heading to what remained of Serenes Forest.

* * *

The first two days of the search turned up nothing but evidence that Duke Tanas was also searching the forest. By the third day, there was only the heart of the forest left.

"T-this is where we ended our search yesterday, I think."

"I just noticed something. Even in this dense forest, you always seem to know exactly where you are. How do you do that? I think it's the lack of color, but these woods are starting to look the same to me."

"I've . . . I have a very good sense of direction. That's all."

Despite assuring Ike that he was fine, Soren was still forced to stay with Elincia and the others when Ike led a small group deeper into the forest. It was some time later that Ike called for reinforcements. When Soren and a few others arrived, the first thing they noticed was the female heron on Ike's back. His surprise was compounded when three hawks showed up, with another heron in tow. Although he didn't show it, the sage was overjoyed. He'd always believed that the herons had been completely wiped out with the death of Lillia.

There was one event that day that would remain with the prince for the rest of his life. After listening to and accepting the Apostle's apology, the heron siblings had asked everyone to gather near the altar.

As the siblings sang, Soren found that he could not only understand most of the lyrics, but he could also identify all the notes. He'd closed his eyes to better concentrate on the song, and when he opened them he could only stare in wonder at the forest, once again full of life. It was no wonder they called it the Galdr of Rebirth.

The group set out for Daein within the week. With every step toward his homeland he took, the prince felt his anxiety double.

* * *

Two things. 1. I know it seems rushed near the end, but by that point I felt like my hands were going to fall off from typing too much. 2. I'm definitely going to be writing that collection of one shots when this is all over, so if there's anything you want to see, let me know.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm going to apologize in advance, I cannot write a decent fight scene to save my life, so I tend to skim over those sections. Sorry. As always, I thank the readers and reviewers, and ask that you enjoy the chapter.

* * *

By the time the group reached the border, Soren was a nervous wreck. He couldn't concentrate on anything, jumped at almost every sound, and avoided other people as much as possible, especially Nasir. He stayed in his tent almost constantly, and most people left him alone. There was one person though, who didn't seem to realize that he didn't want company. But to be fair, there was no way for Ike to know how much stress it caused Soren to just be near him.

"Soren can I talk to you for a minute?" Ike entered the tent without waiting for an answer, and was mildly surprised by what he saw. He'd expected to find the sage studying, going over battle records or working on a strategy for the next day's battle, but instead he was simply staring at a candle on the desk. "Is something wrong?"

"I-It's nothing worth worrying about," he turned to face Ike, or that direction at least, "Did you need something?"

"You can leave, you know. It must be hard for you to fight your own country. I wouldn't hold it against you if you decided to leave."

"Th-that's not it . . . I-I can't just let this continue. The k-king must be stopped. S-staying and f-fighting alongside you . . . that is the right thing to do."

"Is it what you _want_ to do though?" Ike had to wait a full minute for the answer.

"N-no . . . I-I want to go back to Goldoa, and forget all about this. But I will stay."

"Are you sure?"

"...Y-yes. I-I am . . . sure."

"You don't sound very confident."

"I'm sorry . . . " He turned away from the general then, and after a while, heard him leave. A part of him was glad he had left, but another part wanted him to stay. A part of him wanted to be asked a question that he couldn't find a way around, to have to tell his friend the whole truth.

* * *

In addition to the Daein army, there were ravens guarding the wall of Tor Garen, not that this came as a surprise. In fact, the prince was disappointed that the raven king wasn't there. He would have enjoyed he would have enjoyed shredding the bird with his magic. As it was, he satisfied himself with taking down the beorc and laguz who had chosen to side with his mad father.

The battle was going smoothly, especially with the hawks and pegasus knights taking care of the wyverns and their riders. The appearance of a red-haired sniper caused an uproar among some of the mercenaries though. He was able to overhear some of the conversations, and couldn't understand why they were so reluctant to fight someone who had left them to join the enemy. The sniper was eventually defeated by Ike, though not killed, interestingly enough. The battle ended quickly, and aside from a few of the Holy Guard, the only thing that caused problems was the same sniper starting a fight with the general. He lost, of course, and grudgingly stood down.

* * *

It was later that night, when everyone was either celebrating, drinking, or in most cases both, and the ones that weren't were asleep, that Soren ran into Nasir again. Or rather, Nasir sought Soren out. Soren had been walking a short distance away from the camp, trying to escape the drunken singing, which was much too loud, and the smell of alcohol, which had a tendency to make him sick.

"So this is where you've been hiding." If anyone had been listening in on the conversation, it would have sounded like a friendly greeting. Soren knew it wasn't.

"Don't. Please . . . I can't . . . I cannot take any more of this . . . I know that I can't be forgiven for what I did, but I'm trying to make up for it. Please, just leave me alone." Without warning, Nasir closed the distance between them and slapped the prince, causing him to stumble back.

"What makes you think you have the right to tell me what to do? My granddaughter could _die_ because of you!" The dragon turned and began to walk away, but before he was out of hearing range he looked over his shoulder and snarled, "People like you . . . shouldn't exist."

As Nasir disappeared into the night, Soren sank to his knees in the snow, fighting back tears. Those words had hurt more than anything else in his life.

"Soren?" He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, but it was apparently long enough for Ike to get worried and come looking for him. "What happened? Your face is red, did someone hit you?"

"I...I got into an . . . argument with . . . someone. It was my fault. Don't worry about it."

* * *

I know it's short, but this seemed like a good place to end the chapter. And I know some of you will be disappointed at the fight scene, or lack thereof, but you would be even more disappointed had there been one. Believe me.


	8. Chapter 8

1For those of you who aren't aware, The Sage of Spirits has written a fic entitled True Upbringings. It is very good and Nasir suggests that you read it. I suggest you do what Nasir says. We don't want to make him angry. Before I forget, there is some Galdr in this chapter. I had to go through three translators to get to it and I just_ know_ something got lost in translation, so don't be surprised when you try to translate it back and get something weird. Just ask if you can't figure out what it says. Thank you's all around, and enjoy.

* * *

Ike had no idea how long the sage had been sitting there, and it didn't seem as if Soren was going to tell him. In fact, Soren seemed to be giving him the silent treatment, refusing to answer any of Ike's questions as they walked back to the camp.

"About this morning," Ike began, breaking the silence, "I meant to ask if you knew anything about this area. Any information would be helpful."

Soren paused for a moment before answering, "I-I really don't know much. This is only the second time I've been so far away from the capital."

"The capital, huh? In that case, can you tell me anything about the king?"

"What do you want to know?" Ike noticed the change in his friend's attitude immediately. Before, he had seemed uncertain, now he was determined.

"Um . . . well, weaknesses would be nice." Ike laughed nervously. To tell the truth, the sudden change had scared him, if only a little.

"He has none. His armour is just as impenetrable as the Black Knight's, his sword is sharp, and he is cunning in battle, if a little crazed. Taking his family hostage will do nothing to gain an advantage. To him, they are nothing but tools; a means to gain more power." They had arrived at Soren's tent, and had stopped just outside.

"Well, it seems I've got a ways to go then. You try to get some sleep, I can't have you passing out on the battlefield again." He began to walk away, but was stopped by a tug on his sleeve before he could get far.

"I-Ike? May I make a request?" The uncertainty was back, and Ike was finding it increasingly hard to believe that anyone would strike someone who was in this state just because of an 'argument'. "When . . . when the time comes for you to face King Ashnard, may I ask that, if at all possible, you spare his wyvern? A mount should not be punished for the wrongdoings of its rider . . . I-I have a wyvern of my own," he added, seemingly as a means of explanation.

"I'll try. Now get to bed."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

The next day's battle was going as smoothly as can be expected. By now it came as no surprise to the prince to see ravens mixed in with the Daein troops. What did surprise him was when a raven with blue tinted feathers approached Reyson. He had never met the king of Kilvas, but somehow recognized him instantly. Having the overgrown crow fly within attacking range caused something to snap within Soren.

"You . . . " Fierce winds started circling around him. He saw nothing but his target, felt nothing but the magic that surrounded him. "You . . . _**ODUKOKIAB!**_"

"Soren, calm down! If you attack now, you'll kill Reyson, too!"

The wind died down as quickly as it had started, and the tome Soren had been holding fell to the snow as he came to his senses. It wasn't Titania's warning or Gatrie's hands holding him back that made him stop, but the echo of his own words coming back to him.

It was shortly after the battle ended that Titania brought him, along with Ike and Elincia to a room where a large amount of gold was waiting. When Ike commented on how rich Daein must be, Soren felt a bit of national pride coming back to him, which was combined with a sense of irony when Titania gave him almost all of it to him 'for company maintenance'.

* * *

The day after brought problems of a different variety. He'd been giving his usual report to Ike when Mist ran up to them. It seemed that Mist had lost something important, a medallion of some kind. Ike set out to look for it, asking Soren to calm Mist down before running off.

"M-Mist? If you tell me what it looks like, I could help you look . . . " To be honest, he wasn't sure how to act around the girl, or anyone for that matter. Spending most of his life isolated in a stone fortress had its down sides.

"Would you? It's about this big, bronze, and it has a blue glow to it." She seemed happy, and as she dragged Soren to where she had last seen the medallion, didn't see the look of confusion on his face.

'_Blue glow . . . ? The Fire Emblem?!'_

* * *

Soren just couldn't believe it. They had reached Talrega only to find that the floodgates had been opened by General Shiharam. Soren had met the general a few times in the past; his wyvern mounted troops had been the ones responsible for his 'safety' on the few occasions he had been permitted to leave the keep. Despite his better judgement, he felt he had to confront Shiharam in person. When he reached the top of the hill where he was waiting, he didn't ask for an explanation. It would have been risky under any circumstances, but with Tormod following closely behind him, it was too big a risk to take.

"I'm sorry," Soren muttered, more to the wyvern than the man. He had meant what he said to Ike about mounts not being responsible for their riders.

"My pr-!" The sage's talent for casting spells quickly and silently was all that prevented his secret from getting out. Before Shiharam could finish, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, killing both rider and wyvern instantly.

"That was amazing! How did you do it? Will you teach me?" Tormod almost tackled him in his excitement. Callil hadn't been kidding when she said that making deals with spirits would make you powerful. "I promise to be a good student! I didn't know it was possible to cast spells without saying the words! Wait, do you have to be a Spirit Charmer to do it? Never mind. I happen to like my soul."

Soren could only stare in silence as the fire mage walked away, the very image of disappointment.

* * *

"What's a Spirit Charmer?" The water that blocked their path was still receding, and Ike took the opportunity to ask Soren the question that had been nagging at him all day.

"Y-you heard that, did you?"

"Tormod isn't exactly the quietest person around. So what is it?"

"A Spirit Charmer is a magic user who allows a spirit to inhabit his or her body. To put it simply, a Spirit Charmer sells their soul for power. It is believed that the Daein prince is a Spirit Charmer."

"Are you?" Ike still wasn't used to his friend's mood swings, if that's what they were. First from uncertain to determined, now from calm to angry.

"No. Only a weak mage would resort to something so . . . repulsive to gain strength. And, like Tormod, I happen to like my soul." With that, Soren turned and walked away, leaving Ike to wonder what he had said that had offended him.

* * *

Being so close to his home, Soren was surprised to feel calm. He knew he shouldn't feel that way. They were more than 'close' to the keep, they were in it. The doors had been wide open when they got there. He knew it was a trap, knew Ashnard was in Melior, but he couldn't reveal this information without revealing himself. So he kept quiet, avoiding eye contact and listening carefully for any sound that would reveal what was in store for them. When it came, it was far from subtle. The roar echoed through the halls, signaling the soldiers to come out of hiding and attack.

The familiar surroundings gave him an advantage over most of his allies, he knew exactly where the throne room was, and what would be waiting there. He ran past Ike, who had lowered his blade and was speaking calmly to the knight he recognized as Tauroneo, to stand in front of the dragon he recognized as Ena.

She wasted no time in attacking the person who she'd had to obey for the better part of seventeen years. He managed to dodge, but his heel caught on the decorative carpet, tripping him. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the second attack that he knew was coming.

It never came. Instead there was a sound of metal scraping against scale, and a thud as something large hit the ground. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Ike dead or dying, but instead saw Ena, back in her humanoid form, kneeling in front of the throne. Her wounds seemed to be serious, but not life threatening.

He also saw Nasir enter the room, before his vision was blocked by the man in white armor who, years ago, had tried and failed to teach him to use 'real weapons'. Tauroneo reached down to help his prince up, but halted as they both heard Nasir strike Ike.

In the end, Ena escaped, Nasir was put into custody, and Soren finally had an ally whom he knew he wouldn't have to hide from.

* * *

"Soren." Soren would not have been concerned by Ike's visit - he was used to him dropping in unannounced - but something in his voice told him this was not a casual visit.

"Did...did something happen?"

"I questioned Nasir about his actions. He said you would know why he did it. He said it involved your parents." Soren felt the colour drain from his face. Nasir had promised not to tell anyone.

"..."

"Soren, I'm not going to judge you based on who your parents are. I promise I won't tell anyone."

"Y-you remember when you asked if I was a Spirit Charmer, right? You were close. Spirit Charmers and . . . Branded . . . are often confused."

"Branded? What does that mean?"

"Branded have the blood of both Beorc and Laguz. It is why I am allowed in Goldoa. My mother . . . is Kurthnaga's sister." Ike carefully controlled his emotions, he could tell how hard this was for the sage.

"And your father?"

"..."

"I'm not going to get mad at you, Soren. I mean, it's not as if your father is Mad King Ashnard."

Ike couldn't understand what happened. Soren had seemed so collected a moment ago, but now he was crying. He tried desperately to think of what he might have done to upset him, but just couldn't figure it out. Then it hid him, his own words ringing in his ears: Your father is Mad King Ashnard.

"Oh . . . I didn't mean . . . ," he reached out toward the person who he now knew was a prince, but Soren was already gone.

* * *

If Ike's foot was any further down his throat, he'd be choking on his femur. Honestly.


	9. Chapter 9

This has been mentioned a few times in reviews, so I'm going to say it now. If you have read this story and feel inspired to write your own with the same concept, go ahead. I think I'm far enough ahead that I can't be accused of stealing ideas from anyone, so I have no problem with it. I just ask that you send me a message when you post it so I can give people a heads-up, like I did in the last chapter. That and I'd also like to read them. And yes, I know this is a bit short, but it's your punishment for getting two updates so close together. Enjoy, and thank you.

* * *

Luckily for Ike, Soren was no athlete. He may have been able to run fast for a while, but he couldn't keep it up for long. He found the Daein prince after about ten minutes of searching, and if it wasn't for the full moon, he doubted he could have found him at all.

"Soren . . . " The sage's head snapped up when Ike said his name. Ike took a step toward him, and Soren took a step back. This was repeated a few times before Ike realized the reason for it. Ike drew his sword and tossed it off to the side. This time when he approached, Soren made no move to retreat. He stopped a short distance away and addressed the prince again, "Soren, why don't you come back to the camp so we can talk about this. It's cold, and you're going to get sick if you stay outside much longer."

"No! Don't you know anything?! You aren't supposed to worry about the health of your enemy!"

Ike considered his next words carefully. He didn't want Soren running off again. He decided on the simple truth, "You aren't my enemy."

It was too dark to see Soren's reaction clearly, but Ike could see the sage raise his sleeve to his eyes. He took the opportunity to walk up to the sage and place his hand on his shoulder. Soren looked up at Ike to find not a single trace of the hatred that he had expected. Ike was also surprised. It wasn't just the tears in Soren's eyes, but how_ young _he looked. Of course, he always looked young, but now he looked like a child, looking to a parent for forgiveness. Ike just smiled and led Soren back to the camp.

They arrived at the equipment tent a short while later. Before Ike could ask anything Soren turned to him and said quietly, "Princess Elincia should be here. She has a right to know." Ike nodded and left the tent, returning a few minutes later with the princess. Soren had been standing perfectly still when he'd left, and Ike expected him to be in the same place when he returned. Instead he found the sage sitting on a storage chest with his head in his hands, as if he couldn't bear to look at either of them.

"Soren? My lord Ike says you have something to tell me." He didn't look up when Elincia spoke to him. If anything, he seemed to slouch more.

"You may as well make yourself comfortable. It's a long story," Soren started by telling them that he had been born in the first year of Ashnard's reign as king, and that he and his mother had been held hostage for almost a week immediately after. He told them how they had been saved when his uncle - not Kurthnaga, a different one - had come and sacrificed himself, first making Ashnard promise that both his sister and her child would be safe from harm. No, he didn't know how his uncle had accomplished this, and he told them so. He didn't tell them of Rajaion's fate or mention him by name, leading them to believe that he had died. He told them how he himself had only learned of this a few years ago, and that he had gone to Goldoa at his mother's request to hear the story from Kurthnaga. He paused before telling them the consequences of that trip, how he had been forbidden from leaving the keep without his father's permission. He still had a scar on his throat from that encounter. He told them everything, finishing with how he had been the one to devise the plan that had caused Crimea's downfall.

He then answered their questions, still not looking at either of them. No, the people of Daein did not know their queen was a laguz. No, he had no way of contacting Goldoa; he only then realized that he had in fact left his sending stone on a table in a palace in Goldoa. He didn't know who the Black Knight was, or how he might be defeated. Yes, he knew who created the Feral Ones. He mentioned that he had played a role in obtaining the first test subject, but didn't elaborate. They didn't ask him to.

"What will you do now, Princess Crimea?" They had run out of questions, and Soren finally looked up as he spoke. His eyes were bloodshot. "My life is in your hands. Will you use me as a hostage? It will do you no good against the king, but it could prove useful against the soldiers we encounter on the way to Melior. Or will you execute me here and now? The goddess knows I deserve it." With that Soren lowered his head again, as if in defeat.

By this point, Ike had had enough. He hated seeing his friend say those things about himself. He wanted to say something, but Elincia beat him to it.

"Soren," she was kneeling in front of him, but he didn't seem to notice she was there. "Soren, look at me," he did look at her, but didn't meet her eyes, "Soren, do you sincerely think you deserve such drastic punishment?" He nodded once, but didn't say anything, "If that's the case, I will hold off my judgement of your crimes until Crimea has been liberated and a council can help me decide what to do." With that she left, and soon after Soren stood to stand beside Ike.

"Ike . . . "

"Don't start apologizing. None of this is your fault."

"I think you're forgetting-"

"I don't care about-"

"Your sword. It's still . . . " Soren pointed in the direction he had run in almost an hour ago. It took Ike a moment to figure out what the prince was talking about, and when he did, he took off just as suddenly as Soren had. Soren followed him at a slower pace. It could take Ike hours to find the sword in the dark, but Soren could see clearly in the light of the full moon.

* * *

Does this count as filler? Oh well.


	10. Chapter 10

Two weeks until finals start, and I think the stress is driving me crazy. For example, last weekend I was minding my own business, playing Phantom Hourglass, when suddenly an idea popped into my head for a pairing that was just _strange_. Yeah, I know, I should have been studying, but that isn't the point. The point is, I couldn't update all weekend for fear of making the thought reality, and nobody would want that. The reason being that the pairing was . . . SorenxNasir. I apologize for any mental scarring I may have just caused, as well as the shortness of the chapters. With any luck they will be longer next semester. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and enjoy.

* * *

Ike had decided to do what Nasir said and go to Palmeni Temple. Soren wasn't very pleased with this decision. He didn't trust any advice given by Nasir, and he wanted to reach Melior as soon as possible. Even so, he'd gone with the group, and it was a good thing he did. From the moment they entered the temple, he knew something was wrong. The priest that showed them in was stuttering worse than he had been a few days before. When the mercenaries that had made the temple their hideout showed themselves, Soren wasted no time taking them down. Instead of trying to push his way through the priests, Soren volunteered to stay near the entrance to guard against any reinforcements that may come. He didn't have to wait long. He was almost disappointed when he saw the sages and Feral Ones enter; he'd been hoping for a challenge. He finished them off quickly, and went to join the rest of the group. He arrived just in time to see Rhys kill the leader with a well-aimed light spell.

With the battle was over, Soren took a moment to look around. He couldn't explain it, but something was putting both him and the elemental spirits around him on edge. He was almost certain the source of it was somewhere in the building, but he couldn't find it.

"Here." He hadn't noticed that Ike and one of the priests had been talking, nor had he noticed Ike walk up to him. He looked from the general to the object that was being offered to him. It was a staff, and from the looks of it, an ancient and powerful one.

"What is this?"

"That old guy gave it to me. I can't use it, and Rhys has too much to carry as it is. If you don't want it, you can give it to someone else when we get back." He took the staff, feeling slightly uncomfortable. It was obviously a staff for healing, and while he knew how to use such staves, he had never felt the need to study them in great detail. To him, magic was for killing and fighting, not healing.

Mist ran over to them soon after and led them to a room that was separated from the rest. It had no windows, but it appeared that someone had lived here in the past. Soren glanced at the walls and unintentionally took a step back, colliding with Elincia. This is what had been bothering him. The walls were covered in the language of the herons. He expected the spirits to be more agitated here than anywhere else, but they were nowhere to be found. It was as if the entire room had been Silenced.

"Are you all right?" Her voice was so gentle, he thought for sure the princess had been speaking to Reyson, but when he turned to face her and apologize, he saw she was addressing him. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Oh . . . um, yes. I'm sorry." He turned back to the walls, taking in as much as he could.

"Can you read it?" This time it was Ike that spoke to him. He sounded curious, and a bit impressed.

"Most of it," he answered, keeping his eyes on the writing, "a few of the phrases are a bit too complicated for me to understand, and the writing has faded in a few places, but I should be able to figure it out . . . " He heard them exit the room, leaving just him and the laguz in the room. If he understood correctly, not only had someone lived here, but they had died here as well. He glanced around the room, trying to find anything that would help him identify the 'Lillia' and 'Elena' who were mentioned in several places. He found it, but he wished he hadn't.

"Ike . . . " The lord wasn't expecting Soren and Reyson to finish reading the writing for a while, so he was surprised to find Soren standing behind him.

"What is it? Are you finished already?"

"No, but I found this," he held the feather he had found out to Ike. His hand was shaking as he handed it over. He wasn't sure if Ike noticed, but as soon as Ike took the feather, he clutched the staff he had received earlier with both hands to hide the sign of weakness. "I think you should ask Reyson about it. I'm sorry, but I can't go back in that room."

* * *

Soren had left the temple, and now sat on the steps outside, thankful for the fresh air. As he waited for the others to finish whatever conversation they were having inside, the sage inspected the staff. Somehow, he doubted he could use it even with years of practice.

"I see the Ashera Staff has you vexed." Soren jumped at the voice, and turned to glare at the one who had spoken. It was the priest that had given the staff to Ike.

"Ashera Staff?"

"Yes. It is said that only those whom the goddess finds worthy may wield the staff. It has been in the possession of the Palmeni Temple for many, many years." The prince was silent. What could he say to that? The priest left after a few moments.

By the time Ike and the others emerged from the temple, Soren was convinced that for him, the staff would never be more than a fancy walking stick.

* * *

I know it's short, but I really need to study. If I don't, my report card won't have any marks on it, it will just say 'EPIC FAIL' in big bold letters. That being said, I probably won't update until finals are over.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I want to write a SorenxNasir fic. It might be fun. Maybe when this is done . . . No! I won't give in to the temptation! Not yet, anyway.


	11. Chapter 11

Exams are done and all schoolwork has been burned, which means . . . UPDATE! I was going to make a huge update right after finishing my last test, but I got distracted. You see, I decided that I had earned one hour of Radiant Dawn, so I loaded up one of my save files. To shorten this story, the file I chose was at the level in the Kauku Caves, Soren and Ike were down near the boss, and Ike was being killed by flying rocks. I figured Soren would be safe for one turn, so I made him heal Ike. So, Mr. Boss decides to attack Soren, who only has the staff equipped. _Have you seen Soren counterattack with a staff?! _It's insane! He jumps like, three feet in the air and spins before hitting the guy, and then hits him again for good measure! I thought it was kind of cool. So cool that I just left him there, armed with only a magic stick, until said stick broke. Then I reset and did it again, this time making sure he had multiple sticks with him. And that's why I had no time to write a long chapter tonight. The next one will be much longer, and will be put up by this time next week. I promise. Sorry for getting your hopes up.

* * *

It had been a while since Soren had taken out the flute and music book. He found what he was looking for near the back of the book. The melody wasn't difficult, but Soren found it depressing and thus, hadn't played it much. This was it though, the song that was mentioned on the walls of the temple. He looked over the notes a few times before bringing the flute to his lips.

He was able to get about halfway through the song before he was interrupted.

"Soren?" He was so shocked by the intrusion that he hit a painfully high note.

"Mist? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" He closed the book and placed the flute on the desk.

"I was on my way to my tent when I heard music. Was it really you?" Soren nodded, thinking that it was obvious. Ike's sister walked past him to sit on his cot. "That song . . . it's been so long since I heard it . . . Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course." He walked over to sit beside her, expecting her to ask how he knew the song or, more likely, if she could have the Ashera Staff.

"You have to promise you won't judge me."

"I hardly think I'm in a position to judge anyone." He was curious now, and a bit worried.

"I...I heard from Jill that King Ashnard has a son about Ike's age. I know it's wrong, but I can't help but think that he should . . . that he should have to feel the same suffering as all the people who've lost everything in this war. Does...does that make me a bad person?"

Soren looked away from her, afraid that he might let something slip if he didn't. "No . . . you've been through so much because of m-because of him. Compared to what I would consider a fitting punishment, you seem like forgiveness incarnate. But there are people," he paused, remembering how kind and understanding that Ike and Elincia had been, "there are people who think that the guilt and regret are enough. I think those people are too nice for their own good."

"I suppose being related to Ashnard wouldn't be too pleasant either," Mist laughed at her own joke, more to relieve the tension than anything else.

"You have no idea." Soren smiled sadly, remembering all the threats and commands he'd received over the years. His statement was so quiet, and Mist was still laughing, he didn't think she had heard him.

"Can I ask something else, a favor?" She'd finally stopped laughing, and seemed much more at ease than when she'd arrived. When she didn't get an answer, she decided to ask anyway. "Could you play that song for me? Please?"

The sage didn't say anything, but reached over and grabbed the flute. He closed his eyes as he played the tune from memory, going into a trance-like state. He didn't realize how dangerous this was until he opened his eyes. Mist had fallen asleep and, much to Soren's dismay, was using his lap as a pillow. He considered waking her, but she looked so peaceful he just couldn't. He sighed; it was going to be a long night.

"Soren, have you seen . . . " Soren opened his eyes slowly-he must have fallen asleep at some point-to find Ike staring at him, and Mist still fast asleep.

"I...I can explain."

"Go ahead." Luckily for Soren, Mist woke up at the sound of her brother's voice.

"Ike, what are you doing here?" She didn't wait for an answer, instead rushing off to see if Oscar needed any help with breakfast. She came back a moment later though, and it probably would have been better if she hadn't. "I almost forgot, thank you for last night." She gave Soren a peck on the cheek before running off again, completely unaware of the trouble she'd gotten the sage into.

"This 'explanation' better be good."

* * *

Awkward.

Once again, sorry for the short and almost completely filler chapter. But seriously, he jumps and spins,_ at the same time!_


	12. Chapter 12

Well, here's your chapter. I decided to cut it down a little bit, not because it was too long, but because there was too much stuff happening. So, the last few parts are going to get their own chapter. Anyway, does anyone know where I can find a completed script for Radiant Dawn? FEPlanet has a script, but part four is missing.

* * *

Ike didn't seem satisfied with Soren's explanation at first, but was eventually convinced. Of course, this didn't stop him from telling the sage, in no uncertain terms, that if he ever caught him alone with his sister again he would die a painful death. After a short period of awkwardness, things went back to normal. Well, almost.

Things may have been settled between the two friends, but there was a new tension between the general and the troops from Begnion. It seemed that they had expected Ike to hand over the right to rule Daein over to the Apostle. Instead, he had left the decision to Elincia, who had in turn claimed to need more time to decide.

"Sorry for making you wait. Is this what you wanted?" Soren took the newly forged blade from the blacksmith, not bothering to voice a response.

He tossed the dagger from hand to hand, surprised at its weight - or lack thereof. It was exactly what he had asked for, but he had wondered if it would be possible. The black tint of the blade hadn't been necessary, but if he was going to spend a small fortune on a piece of metal, it might as well look good. He'd already payed for the weapon, so he simply nodded to the blacksmith before tucking the blade into his boot and exiting the tent.

He took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the brightness of the sun, and then headed for his own tent. He barely managed to take a few steps before someone grabbed the long leather strip he wore around his neck, nearly strangling him.

"Oops . . . sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." He turned to the person who had just about killed him, and found a blue-haired laguz grinning at him. If he could breathe, he would have told the cat that sorry wasn't good enough.

"Did you find him, Ranulf?" Ike asked as he ran up to stand beside the laguz. Elincia followed soon after, having been slowed down by her dress.

"Ike, who is this?" Soren had finally loosened the strap enough for him to breathe.

"Soren, Ranulf. Ranulf, Soren."

"So this is the tactician, huh? Aren't you a little . . . well, little to be fighting a war?"

"Aren't you a little immature to be so far from home?"

It became apparent much later that two traditions had been started that day.

* * *

"Soren! Are you in here?" Ike all but ran inside the inventory tent.

"Hiding from Aimee again?" Soren sounded completely disinterested, but there was no mistaking the amused smirk he wore.

"Yes . . . wait, how do you . . . ?"

"My hearing is much better than yours. There is very little I don't know. For instance, you may want to extend the same warning you gave me to Boyd."

"Commander! Ike? Where have you gone, handsome?" Ike cringed at the voice. Soren, on the other hand, turned away from Ike, trying to hide the fact that he was laughing. It didn't work.

"This isn't funny!"

"To you. If you had seen me a few years ago, you would be laughing just as much."

"This happened to _you_?" Ike couldn't imagine the antisocial sage in a situation like this, royalty or not.

"Yes. One of the maids was a bit . . . obsessive. I had no choice but to fire her after a month of hiding. There was also that slightly confused stableboy . . . he quit, if I remember correctly." If Soren had stopped after mentioning the maid, Ike may have been able to control himself. Hearing about the stable_boy_ was a bit too much though. Ike burst out laughing, completely forgetting the shopgirl he was trying to avoid.

"Ikey-poo?" Aimee entered the tent, a staff in one hand and a plate of what Ike thought _might_ be food in the other. The general was no longer laughing.

"I kept him in one place, just like you asked."

"Hee hee! And here's the staff, as promised." Ike could only look from one to the other, completely speechless.

* * *

Petrine may have thought her strategy to be perfect, but it was too predictable to be much of a hindrance to the Crimean army. Soren had seen it before, and knew exactly how to avoid the traps. "After all," Soren had told Ike before they began the attack, "I came up with it years ago. Let her men approach, take note of the places they avoid, and do the same."

With this advice in mind, the attack force made it across the bridge without falling into a single trap. As much as he wanted to be the one to take Petrine down, Soren stayed back, watching in silence as one of his former guards finished her off.

Just as Elincia was reunited with her retainers, Soren was having a slightly less joyful reunion.

"Haar. I see you've also turned against Daein." The two of them - three if you count the wyvern - stood on the bridge. Soren and Haar were leaning on the ledge, and Haar's wyvern was gently nudging Soren's arm, hoping for a treat. The prince was famous among the Daein army for his way with the large reptiles.

"Stop that, you're going to push him over," Haar grabbed the wyvern's reigns. "It seems that way. To be honest, I was a bit worried when I heard the capital had been taken." He glanced at the prince, then reached over and ruffled his hair. Soren glared at him for a moment, and then smiled. After being protected by him for so long, he found it hard to stay mad at him. Oddly enough, over the years he'd come to see Haar almost as a father figure. They talked for a while longer, mostly about what had happened since the war began. The sun was just beginning to set when Haar decided to 'hit the sack'.

Soren stayed on the bridge. He knew that as soon as he stepped foot on the soil, he would be leaving his country, and he wanted to put it off for as long as possible. He tried to keep his eyes on the sunset, but he couldn't help glancing repeatedly at the other side of the bridge.

"Something wrong?" He turned to face Ike, but kept his eyes down, as if he was embarrassed.

"Not really. I guess I'm just a little . . . homesick." He paused for a moment, expecting Ike to laugh at him. "How high do you think this bridge is?"

"That depends on why you want to know."

For a moment, Soren couldn't figure out the reason behind that statement. When he did, he nearly laughed. "Oh, I'm not going to jump. I'm just curious. I won't let myself die until this is over. What happens after that is up to the princess." Ike waited to see if the sage was going to say anything more, before hitting him on the side of the head. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it was hard enough to cause Soren to stare at him in shock.

"I'm tired of hearing you talk like that."

Soren was silent for a few seconds. "I won't mention it again, but I can't change how I think."

Ike fought the urge to hit him again.

* * *

Soren refused to take part in the next battle, claiming that he didn't feel well. It wasn't a lie - he still felt homesick - but they didn't need to know that was all it was. He was probably one of the few people in the army who could use that excuse. Not even Tanith would force a sick child to fight against his will.

When Ike questioned him about his decision after the battle, he simply stated, "I was afraid." Remembering how the Black Knight had appeared, he didn't press the issue.

"Ike!" He jumped down from Haar's wyvern. Ike had sent the two of them ahead to scout for any signs of enemy troops.

Even as Ike, Titania and Ranulf tried to come up with a plan to survive the ambush, Soren already had a plan in mind. It was a long shot, but it could work. Hearing Ranulf suggest simply running up the mountain made up his mind.

"That may be unnecessary," They all looked up as the first of the boulders rolled down the mountainside. "I don't have time to explain, just trust me." He climbed back onto Haar's wyvern. As the wyvern flew toward the enemy commander, he told Haar the plan. Haar looked at him like he was crazy, but didn't object.

As they approached the commander, he pulled the dagger out of his boot and got ready to jump. Haar brought his wyvern as close as he was able, and Soren jumped from his mount to the opponent's. Before he could even raise his axe, Soren slashed the razor sharp blade across the commander's throat. As the corpse fell to the ground, the sage grabbed the wyvern's reigns and guided it to where the others were waiting.

* * *

I don't like this chapter. I really,_ really _don't. It wasn't fun. I hope the next one will be better. In other, slightly related news, there are only two chapters left before I can move on to Radiant Dawn.


	13. Chapter 13

I have nothing to say, except that Ashnard is an (insert insult of your choice here). You'll find out why in the chapter.

* * *

"Not to cause unnecessary panic, but there is a slight chance that we may be in danger." The wyvern that Soren had 'stolen' had landed a short distance from the others.

"What do you mean 'slight chance we may be in danger'? Either we are or we aren't. Which is it?" Soren was quickly developing a strong distaste for Lucia.

The sage turned his eyes to the Daein soldiers he'd seen on a ledge above them, then to the dark figure that was quickly approaching. "We are . . . ," he paused, waiting for the soldiers to roll the boulders, or for the hawk to strike. Both events happened almost simultaneously. "...not in danger."

"Need a hand?" Soren was suddenly very thankful he had decided to specialize in wind magic. If the hawk king found out who he was it might be the only thing saving him from being torn apart by the laguz's talons.

* * *

He couldn't breathe. He had to grab the edge of the table to keep from collapsing. Ike had decided to start the war meeting by telling them a story, and Soren wasn't the only one who was reacting badly to it. Mist seemed to be in denial. Soren considered slipping out of the tent while everyone was concentrating on her, but he found he couldn't move.

"Soren . . . ? Are you-" He brushed Elincia's hand away, cutting her off.

"He's . . . he's going to resurrect the dark god . . . " The sound of his own voice scared him. He sounded hysterical, insane even. "Why would he . . . it makes no sense . . . I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't know about this! I never would have helped if I had known; I shouldn't have helped him at all!" He was shaking now, and although he had pushed her away before, Soren realized he was now clinging to Elincia's dress.

"Uh . . . Mist? Could you . . . " Ike sounded nervous. Soren knew it was because of him.

He was grateful when Mist came over and guided him to his tent. He knew how he must have looked to everyone. Crazy, weak, and above all, guilty.

* * *

When Ike had asked Mist how Soren was doing, she'd had a Sleep staff with her, so he wasn't surprised to find the sage asleep. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder, intending to wake him up gently. Soren jumped awake at the touch, his hand going to the dagger.

"Relax, it's just me. How do you feel?"

"I don't know. Better, I guess." Soren stood, heading outside after a moment of thought. "What did you tell them?"

"I told them you used to be a tactician for the Daein army. I think they believed me, but you may want to stay away from Reyson for a while." They were behind Soren's tent, where the stolen wyvern had been tied up. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving. No one will trust me here. You got along fine without me before, you can do it again."

"I trust you. Elincia trusts you. Besides that, where would you go?"

Soren didn't know. He'd planned on going to Goldoa, but how could he tell Kurthnaga that he'd given up? He dropped the reigns and began taking off the saddle. He worked for several minutes in silence removing the various pieces of riding equipment, with Ike watching him just as quietly.

As they watched the now free wyvern fly off into the distance Ike asked, "Why do you always overreact to things like this? You're so calm when it comes to everything else."

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'madness runs in the blood'?"

* * *

"Soren, do you know anything about the enemy general?" Soren's prediction had been mostly correct. Suspicious glances followed him everywhere he went, at least until he casually mentioned that he was on very good terms with the prince of Goldoa.

"No. It's strange, but I've never seen him before. He must be very powerful to be a Rider already. Would you like me to take care of him?"

"No, that might worry people." Soren nodded. Ike continued, "I'd like you to keep an eye on the princess."

There wasn't much for him to do during the battle. Most of the Daein soldiers were killed long before they could get close enough to attack. Even on the few occasions they broke through, Elincia was more than capable of defending herself.

"Princess Elincia?" Hours after the battle ended, Soren stood outside her tent with a staff in his hands.

Elincia came out of the tent, from the way she looked, she had been in the process of removing her armor. "Oh, good evening, Soren. Did you need something?"

"No, not exactly. I thought you should have this. I've tried, but I can't use it." He held the Ashera staff out to the princess, who took it after a moment of hesitation.

"Are you sure? Wasn't this a gift from Sir Ike?"

"As I said, I can't use it." He walked away without another word. For some reason he couldn't explain, he was mad at her. The answer came to him during the next battle, and it wasn't surprising it took so long. He'd never been jealous of anyone before.

He watched Ike leave to fight the Black Knight without saying a word. He needed time to think. And the more he thought about it, he found it strange he hadn't felt any jealousy toward her until now. It wasn't because of her country - Daein had always been the richer of the two - but the way her parents had kept her away from the public out of concern, he'd practically been kept prisoner in his own castle for no reason at all. She had many vassals who served her because they wanted to, not because they had to. He had only one. The staff . . . that was it. When she'd taken it from him, he'd seen a brief flash of light, as if the staff were coming to life in her hands. That was the main difference. Elincia was a beorc, one of Ashera's 'children of wisdom'. He was Branded, Parentless.

* * *

Nasir was back. At first, Soren was a little frightened, but the laguz showed no signs of open hostility toward him. He assumed it was because he was worried about Ena, and didn't make a big deal out of it. Ike however . . .

"Nasir won't tell me why he helped us before. Soren, do you know?"

"I do . . . "

"Will you tell me?"

"No. I'm sorry, but it is not my secret to tell."

"He had no problem selling you out in Daein."

"I know. He had his reasons for telling you, and I have mine for not doing the same."_ I don't want him to be mad at me again . . . _

Ike groaned. Were all dragons this stubborn?

* * *

Soren had no problem fighting alongside Nasir in the next battle, as long as he didn't get too close. However, he didn't like that there were so many more Feral Ones here than anywhere else, or the smell. It reminded him too much of the laboratory near Nevassa. By the time they reached the tower, Soren felt sick. Not from the smell, but from the memories tied to it.

While Ike and Tibarn argued with Naesala, Soren, Nasir and Ena ventured into the tower. They had no need to bring a torch as the dragon tribes could see almost as well in the dark as the beasts. Their reactions upon reaching the basement were very different. Nasir muttered something about fetching Ike, Ena looked from one corpse to the next with a growing look of horror - she'd known what happened down here, but had never seen it in person. Soren, on the other hand, had seen this before, many years ago. He observed the room calmly, as if nothing were wrong.

* * *

"Soren! Soren, wake up!"

The sage bolted awake. He noticed Ike standing near his cot, an oil lamp in his hand.

"Are you all right? I was walking by and heard you scream." When Soren didn't answer, he continued, "Was it a nightmare?"

"S-sort of. More of a...memory. Something that happened a long time ago."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I haven't told anyone about this. Not even Kurthnaga. That wasn't the first time I've seen . . . that. Years ago, I was forced by my f- _him_ to watch the experiments that created the Feral Ones. The first day was horrible. I screamed, cried, did whatever I could think of, trying to escape. But the guards had strict orders to make sure I watched the whole thing. It got better over time. I got used to it." Ike set the lantern down on the ground and sat on the cot, putting his arms around the prince. He didn't think even Ashnard could be so cruel. But Soren wasn't done. "Until then, I hadn't really hatedhim. Not that I liked him either. I was indifferent. But after that...after the first day I _begged_ him to not make me go back. He listened, but he didn't care. He said it was time for me to grow up. I was only ten!"

Ike expected Soren to cry, but he didn't. He showed no emotion at all, just stared straight ahead. "Soren . . . maybe you shouldn't fight in the next battle."

"No. Whether you want me to or not, I will fight."

* * *

I don't like this chapter either. The next one should be interesting though. Speaking of which, if you can guess who dies in the next chapter, you win an imaginary prize of your choosing. Don't expect an update for about a week though. My copy of the Spore Creature Creator came in the mail today, and I want to see if I can recreate Rajaion. And I'll be gone for the weekend.


	14. Chapter 14

The winner of the 'Guess Who Dies' contest will be announced at the bottom of the chapter, but please don't scroll down to find out who it is, you'll just ruin the surprise ending for yourself. In addition, please don't scroll down just to see what the surprise ending is. Argh, I didn't expect Ashnard to be so hard to keep in character. And, once again, I suck at battle scenes. I tried my best though.

* * *

No one objected when Soren took his place on the front lines, to fight alongside Ike and Elincia. Not at first. Most were grateful for it when they saw how the Daein soldiers hesitated before attacking, giving the Crimean army the upper hand. Soren expected this. These were Daein's elite forces; he knew most of them by face, if not by name.

The army's opinion of Soren changed as soon as they reached the courtyard. The prince had difficulty staying where he was as the king of Daein flew toward them on his massive wyvern.

"Where is the traitor?" It was an order; Ashnard never asked questions.

"I am here," Soren walked forward slowly, pausing a moment before adding, "father."

"King Ashnard of Daein!" It was Elincia who spoke now. "You will pay for what you did to my country, as well as for what you did to your family! This battle will be your last!"

"Noble words, but you are not the one I seek," he attacked the princess, leaving a deep cut on her pegasus' flank. He turned to his son, "Tell me, who is the one they say wields the holy blade."

Ike stepped in front of his friend, "I do, and you will feel its edge soon enough."

"Is that so? I expect this to be entertaining. Don't disappoint me!"

Ashnard flew to a balcony overlooking the courtyard, and Elincia left for the streets to take command of the forces battling there. As the battle progressed, Soren purposefully separated himself from the rest of the Crimean army. The Daein army no longer hesitated before attacking him, and some even went out of their way to try to kill him. He had been declared a traitor, after all.

He regretted his actions only when he found himself surrounded by Feral Ones of every variety. He was about to give up hope when the nearest one, a dragon, was cut down by an airborne attacker.

"Need some help?" He looked up to see Elincia, Amiti in one hand, the Ashera staff in the other. The two of them finished off the rest of the Feral Ones before the princess brought her pegasus close enough to the ground for Soren to climb on.

As he did so, he heard someone say, "The prince and princess of enemy nations fighting side by side . . . how strange." The battle was too loud to recognize the voice.

Somehow, Elincia seemed to know what Soren wanted. She flew him as close as she dared to the king before letting him jump down. He ran up the final flight of stairs, and was somewhat insulted when Ashnard didn't even turn to face him until he was within attack range. Even then, it was the wyvern that turned - of its own accord - to attack the sage, leaving four gashes on his upper right arm, the deepest one scratching the bone.

"How many times have I told you not to approach Rajaion?" Ashnard still didn't look directly at his son, and it irritated Soren to no end.

"Apparently not enough." His arm hung at his side. He didn't know if he could move it; he was afraid to try.

"Hm. Did you honestly think to fight me? I thought you were smarter than that." He was mocking Soren, and the irritation quickly turned to anger. "Or were you planning to kill Rajaion with your spells after all he's done for you?"

"Shut up!" He gasped, his emotions shifting once again. This time, from anger to fear.

"I've had enough of your insolence." Soren watched as Ashnard raised his sword, but as the blade descended he closed his eyes, bracing himself to receive the killing blow.

He heard the blade whistling through the air, but he also heard another sound. Footsteps, followed be the clanging of blade against blade. He opened his eyes to see Ike standing before him, blocking Gurgurant with Ragnell.

"It doesn't look like I'll be able to keep my promise, Soren. I'm sorry." Ike pushed the Mad King back as Soren sank to his knees. He was only a bit concerned to find himself in a puddle of his own blood. He tried to watch the duel between the two, but had to look away when he heard a loud scream of pain. The scream wasn't human. When he looked back, he noticed a large tear in the wyvern's wing membrane, preventing it from flying. He was faintly aware of Elincia standing beside him.

The battle seemed to be over too quickly, the courtyard becoming so silent that he could hear Ike's words clearly. "Now . . . It is truly over."

Elincia dropped everything she was holding to run to Ike, and Soren could see Ena and Nasir run to Rajaion. The cheers from the Crimean army were so loud even he couldn't hear what was being said, but he saw the herons stand near Rajaion. He could tell from Ena's sad expression that Rajaion was badly injured, in both mind and body. While the herons could heal his mind, they could do nothing for his physical injuries.

He lowered his head in defeat, and in doing so saw the Ashera staff, discarded by Elincia only moments before. It was worth a try . . .

He grabbed the staff with his left hand, using it to pull himself to his feet. The staff felt much heavier than it should be, but he held it up as he spoke, "Ianihs akoyk owotokuborokah ihsataw." It wasn't a spell. It was a statement - a promise, almost. He couldn't tell if it worked or not. The black dragon collapsed just as the light from the staff died.

Soren made his way - unnoticed - down the steps, using the staff for support, to a shaded area under the balcony. Once there, he healed his arm with an elixir. The potion may have miraculous healing powers, but it wasn't perfect. The area where the injuries were was very sore, especially when he moved his arm, but it was better than before.

The sun had been setting when the battle ended, and it was almost an hour after dark when Ike came to kneel in front of Soren. Remembering what Elincia had said so long ago, the sage asked, "Has she made her decision yet?"

Ike shook his head, "Not yet. Elincia's been busy dealing with . . . other things. How are you feeling?"

". . . It still hurts." Although he looked at his arm as he said this, neither one of them had been referring to the wounds. "I'm so tired."

Ike stood. "Well . . . it will probably be a while before anyone even remembers you exist. You should have time to clean up and take a nap." He pulled his friend up and led him into the castle and to a small room with a large bowl of water, a cloth and a set of off-white robes. He was thankful for that. His robes were torn and the entire right side was stained a dark red. As he cleaned the blood off his arm, he found more proof that the elixir wasn't perfect. The four gashes had been replaced by four scars. He had a feeling these would never heal.

"So . . . how tired are you?"

"Huh?" Ike's unexpected question made no sense to him in his exhausted state.

"Well, if you're not too tired . . . Rajaion's room is nearby. He was still unconscious last time I checked, but you could go see him."

"No."

"You don't want to see him? I thought-"

"It's not that. I'm glad he survived, but . . . he won't want to see me."

"All right, if you're sure." Soren simply nodded and let Ike guide him to what he hoped was a bed of some kind.

They hadn't even gotten to the end of the corridor before they were interrupted.

"You!" They both turned to see Marcia storming toward them. She held a lance in her hand and was glaring directly at Soren. "You killed him!"

"Who?" The sage was confused. He didn't remember killing anyone that Marcia would care about.

The former Holy Knight grabbed Soren by the arm with one hand, causing him to gasp in pain. Her other hand raised the lance, ready to strike. "If it wasn't for you, he'd still be alive! Why should you get to live if my brother's dead?!"

She would have skewered the sage, if someone hadn't grabbed the lance from behind. She turned to see who had stopped her, and came face-to-face with the heir to the Goldoan throne.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't try to kill my nephew."

"But-"

"I understand that you would not have lost your brother if not for the war, and I am sorry for your loss. However, from what I have heard, many more lives would have been lost if not for my nephew." Marcia looked from Rajaion, to Soren, to Ike and Back to Rajaion before running back the way she had come. All three could hear sobs echoing through the halls.

Ike had been silent through th exchange, having seen Rajaion coming down the hall. Now he watched in silence as the two spoke.

"Senerio?" Soren nodded. This confused Ike. Was Soren not the boys real name? "Did she hurt you?"

"Not much." Soren spoke quietly, barely above a whisper.

Rajaion frowned and rolled up the sleeve of the robes, gasping when he saw the scars. "Did I do this?" Soren looked away. "I did, didn't I? I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault." Rajaion smiled as he hugged his shorter nephew.

Ike walked away quietly, the two of them had a lot to talk about.

* * *

A meeting was held to decide the fates of both Soren and Daein the next day. Elincia had done the best she could to ensure that Soren was judged fairly, but it was Rajaion's subtle threats that had the most influence on the decisions. The kingdom had been handed over to Begnion, and Soren was made a 'representative' of the former nation. It was his job to ensure that the people of Daein were treated fairly, and thanks to his uncle he was permitted to live in the keep. Soren had left for what used to be Daein that afternoon after saying goodbye to Ike and Elincia. Rajaion was going back to Goldoa with Ena and Nasir, but promised to visit Daein in a few weeks' time.

* * *

One of Soren's new duties was to meet with the Begnion Senators and sign the various documents they brought him. Of course, he always read them through first, refusing to sign them unless he was sure nothing could be used against him or his people. Usually, this wasn't too horrible, but today the thought of it made him cringe.

Soren was sick. He was dizzy, nauseous and he had a headache that nearly brought him to tears when his door closed behind him. He wished he could have rescheduled, but that was an impossibility. So he made his way, slowly, to the room where the senator was waiting. It looked like he would make it there without incident, until he tripped on the carpet, knocking over a suit of armor. Whimpering, he covered his ears until the last of the echoes had faded away. He got to his feet and tried to pull himself together as he approached the door that had two Begnion knight standing guard outside it. One of them opened the door for him, then they both followed him inside.

The senator was burning scented candles, and as he took a seat at the table across from the senator, Soren desperately wanted to put his head down and go to sleep. Instead he picked up the long document, reading it several times before he was certain he understood it. He was about to sign it when one of the knights dropped his shield. Soren flinched, and as a result didn't notice the senator switch the simple contract with one that was far more complicated. He signed it, not bothering to look at it any longer than he had to to find the line. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

"Perfect." The sinister note in the senator's voice made Soren look up.

"Wha-" One of the guards hit the sage hard, knocking him out.

* * *

And the winner is . . . The Sage of Spirits! Let's see . . . you guessed one of the two people who died, and it was one of three guesses, so you win one sixth of an imaginary prize. Enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15

Winged Senea has written a story called Spiral. You should go check it out if you haven't already. If you don't, I'll tell Izuka where you live. You have been warned. And you can blame Rajaion for the lateness of the chapter. He was being difficult. I now understand why they decided to kill him off in the game. That said, I shall now attempt to cram three years into one chapter.

* * *

Soren didn't open his eyes when he awoke. If anyone was watching him, he didn't need them knowing that he was conscious. Even with his eyes closed, he was able to tell much about his surroundings. He wasn't bound, and was in fact on a bed. It wasn't very comfortable, but it was enough for him to tell he wasn't in a prison cell. The air was stale, as if the room hadn't been aired out for months. He could hear muffled voices in the distance. After a while, he heard two voices, close enough to hear what they were saying, but still slightly muffled.

"I still don't see why we have to stand guard. What, do they expect him to break down the door? That kid couldn't break a twig!"

"Don't underestimate magic-users. One little fire spell and that door would be nothing but ash!" True as that may be, Soren didn't think he would be able to light a candle in his current condition. The voice continued, "Anyway, that creep will be here to get him tomorrow."

"Good riddance. Who would have thought that a kid could cause so many problems. Izuka can have him for all I care."

The name sent a jolt of fear through Soren. He sat straight up on the bed, but deeply regretted it as a wave of dizziness overshadowed the fear. It took a few minutes, but he forced himself to calm down. Panic never solved anything. To keep his mind off the inevitability of his fate, he took the time to finally look at his surroundings. However, it did nothing but put him back on the verge of panic. There were no windows, but there was enough light coming from under the door for Soren's sharp eyes to see the writing covering the walls. It was the same room that Lillia had been kept in as she died.

Following this discovery, Soren had pressed himself against the wall, his eyes clenched shut. He kept telling himself that his hands were shaking from hunger and weakness, not something foolish like fear. How long had it been since he'd eaten, anyway? At least a day, probably two.

After some thought, Soren realized that his situation shouldn't have been such a surprise to him. Izuka had more than once expressed a "scientific interest" in the sage, although he had also once said that Soren was feral enough as it was. Soren wondered briefly if he'd left any permanent marks when he'd bitten the man.

His thoughts wandered like that for a long while, until a commotion outside of the door brought him back to the real world. It sounded like a battle, and it seemed the guards were losing.

It took only a minute for things to go quiet again. Just as the sage began to relax, the door slammed open with enough force to break one of the hinges.

"Senerio!" Rajaion stood in the doorway, and Soren had never been happier to see anyone in his life. "Are you all - what am I thinking? Of course you're not all right! Come on, we have to get out of here."

As the two of them left the temple, Soren saw the results of the one-on-many fight. Other than being unconscious, the priests looked fine. The soldiers, on the other hand . . . If Rajaion could do this without transforming, and singlehandedly too, it was no wonder he was the heir to the throne.

It took some time for them to reach their destination - a small forest near the temple. Waiting for them was Kurthnaga and, most importantly as far as Soren was concerned, food. The two laguz waited for the sage to finish eating before telling him that they were taking him to Goldoa, and there was nothing he could do about it. No, he didn't have any say in the matter and yes, they had gotten his mother's permission. As for how they were getting back . . . the ability to turn into a wyvern was proving to be very useful.

* * *

For the first week after they arrived, Rajaion and Kurthnaga made it perfectly clear that Soren was not to do anything but rest. During this week, all his meals were brought to him and his two uncles refused to leave him alone unless he ate everything they brought him. It was also when he learned something quite unexpected about Rajaion.

"Sen," It was what Kurthnaga and Rajaion had started calling the sage, claiming that "Senerio is too long." Rajaion continued, "is there something wrong with my cooking? You don't seem to like it very much."

"You made this? I didn't know you liked cooking." He gestured at the remains of the meal. As usual, it had been much more than he was used to eating.

"Raj only took up cooking because he found out Ena likes men who can cook." That comment came from Kurthnaga, who was luckily seated a safe distance from his brother.

"Kurth, you are my brother and I love you to death, but if you don't shut up, I will be forced to end your life in a manner most unpleasant. And_ you _are avoiding the question."

"The thing is, I don't particularly like it. It's nothing personal, I don't particularly like _anything_."

"We'll just see about that."

* * *

In the hopes of finding something that his nephew would like, Rajaion took to making every meal himself, and made sure Soren was in the kitchen so he could taste the culinary creations every step of the way. It was about a year after this started that Soren made another discovery.

"Raj," he had recently started using the dragons' nicknames, agreeing that the full names were too long, "how many Black dragon laguz are there? I haven't seen any outside the family. Are you the only ones?"

"Yes and no." Rajaion was used to these questions. "The only other family of Black dragons is mother's family, and they live on the other side of the country. If I remember correctly, there are a total of twelve . . . and a half." He glanced at Soren, and almost laughed at his puzzled expression.

"That's . . . strange. I should be upset by that, but I'm not. Why is that?"

Although the sage had been talking mostly to himself, Rajaion decided to answer anyway. "It's because you've accepted it. And you're probably a bit proud of it."

"Why would I be proud of being related to a freak like you?"

* * *

Two mostly uneventful years later the bad news started coming. The first of the bad tidings was brought by Rajaion, with Kurthnaga following closely behind him.

"Sen, you're not the type of person who kills the messenger, are you?"

"That depends a great deal on the contents of the message." After a pause, "I was kidding."

"Well, it seems that a Spirit Charmer named Pelleas was going around saying that _he_ is the prince of Daein, in other words, pretending to be you."

"What do you mean, 'was'?"

"The thing is . . . as of today he isn't pretending to be the prince. He's been crowned king."

Soren silently walked past the two laguz and out of sight. Ten minutes later the floor shook as a colossal bolt of lightning struck the ground right outside the palace. For the next few days, Soren would occasionally start muttering things in the ancient language.

Rajaion didn't know the ancient language contained swears, but apparently it did.

* * *

Learning from their mistakes, the laguz didn't inform Soren of the rebellion in Crime until _after_ it was resolved. When the war started though, it seemed to be in everyone's best interest to make sure Soren read the report for himself. They were also prepared for Soren's response.

"Rajaion, I'm going to need a ride to Gallia."

* * *

Well, not my best chapter, but also not my worst. I got tired near the end (It's 11:40 p.m. here). It sets up Rajaion's character and fills in the three-year gap, so I can't complain. That set of oneshot's that I mentioned a while ago will also contain stories from this time period.


	16. Chapter 16

As of writing this, the story has more than one hundred reviews. Thank you reviewers! Internet hugs for all! The people who don't review only get internet high-fives.

* * *

The Laguz Alliance camp was easy to spot from the air, but to avoid scaring the army witless Rajaion chose to land in a small clearing a short distance away.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you already have a wyvern?" It was the third time Rajaion had asked this question since they landed, and Soren suspected he was just trying to annoy him.

"We've been over this, Raj. I sent her to live with Haar, so that just leaves you to fly me around. By the way, what did your father say when you told him we were going to help the Alliance?"

"What? Kurth said _you_ told him. That little brat! Is he trying to get me killed?!"

"Possibly, and at the moment I can see why. Now be quiet - someone's coming."

"Who's there? What business do you have here?" Two untransformed laguz blocked their path. Soren hadn't seen either of them before, but the female looked very similar to Lethe. It was the other one that spoke, a tiger by the looks of him.

"We are here to speak with Ike," Soren replied.

"Why should we take you to him? You could be assassins for all we know." Soren couldn't blame the cat for that mistake, as both of them were wearing dark cloaks. Rajaion had insisted on it, reminding Soren that some people would not be pleased to see the son of Mad King Ashnard walking through the camp.

This time Rajaion answered, "If we were assassins, we wouldn't have gotten caught. Now, you can find Ike and bring him here, or you can take us to him. Either way, we will be speaking with him."

They apparently chose the second option, because the cat ran off, returning a few minutes later with Ike, Titania and Ranulf. Soren almost didn't recognize Ike. He'd spent so much time in Goldoa that he'd nearly forgotten how fast beorc grow.

"You're the ones who wanted to see me?" They nodded. "In that case, would you mind removing your hoods? I prefer to be able to see the faces of those who claim to be allies."

"Of course." They removed their cloaks, with Soren handing his to Rajaion, who hung both of theirs over his arm. The others were temporarily struck speechless when their guests' identities were revealed. Titania was the first to recover.

"Soren? And Prince Rajaion?"

Rajaion responded gracefully, giving the paladin a short bow. Soren's response was slightly less graceful.

"_Why do you get a title? I am just as royal as you."_

Rajaion laughed a little at that - Kurthnaga was right when he called him a bad influence. Seeing the questioning looks of those who couldn't hear the telepathic message he told them, "Senerio is wondering why you do not honor him with the title he deserves. He is, after all, a Goldoan prince."

"Rajaion! There is a reason I didn't say it out loud."

"Uh . . . not to interrupt, but what are the two of you doing here?" Ike stepped forward as he spoke.

"We - or rather, I - wish to help in any way I can."

"Not that I don't want to help, mind you. Father would kill me if I were to participate in any actual fighting."

"Well, isn't this lucky! We were just saying how much easier this would be with Soren here to do the thinking for us." Ranulf was still as annoying as ever. "I'll have to introduce you to Skrimir."

"We should probably let them rest first. Dealing with Skrimir is difficult enough as it is, and they look somewhat exhausted from their journey. By the way, how did you get here?" Titania's opinion of this 'Skrimir' seemed to be shared by Ike, judging by the look on his face.

"Wyvern."

* * *

After resting, the two of them had been shown to a tent, where they were introduced to Skrimir. After a few moments in his presence, it was painfully obvious why nobody had objected to Soren's arrival. When Soren provided them with a way to get into Mugill, Ranulf had practically begged him to stay. Rajaion had become bored halfway through the discussion, and had gone to help Mist and Oscar prepare enough food for an entire army. The time between the meeting and the attack was the perfect time for Ike and Soren to talk.

"It's good to have you back, Soren."

"I couldn't just let the senate get away with what they've done. And, to be honest, I have a few personal reasons for being here."

"Can I ask what they are?"

"It's a bit embarrassing, for me anyway, and difficult to explain." His left hand moved to his right wrist, where the mark of the blood pact was covered by two layers of robes as well as a layer of bandages.

"You've . . . changed." Ike sounded a bit impressed.

"Have I?" Soren didn't think so. He looked almost exactly as he had three years ago; his robes were even in the same style. He hadn't improved his arcane skills much either, as there were very few tomes to be found in any laguz nation.

"You're more . . . " Ike struggled to find the right word to describe the change.

"Mentally stable?"

"No - well, yes -but not what I meant. More . . . confident, I guess."

"Oh . . . thank you."

"Come on, we should eat something before the battle. By the way, what did you mean when you said you didn't say something out loud?"

"Ah, that. Dragon tribe laguz can communicate telepathically. I believe the herons have the ability as well."

"It seems you're still full of surprises, _Prince_ Soren."

"Don't _ever_ call me that again."

* * *

Once again, thank you, reviewers! As for the people who don't review, it would be nice to hear from you every once in a while. It's not necessary, but it would be nice.


	17. Chapter 17

I can't think of anything entertaining to say. Just read the chapter.

* * *

The short battle that night was fairly easy, at least to Soren. It was a bit more difficult for those who couldn't see in the dark, but the mercenaries had improved so much in three years that they all came away from the battle with only very minor wounds. Even Lethe's twin, who had a habit of taking on more enemies than she could handle, barely got scratched, though that was partially due to Gatrie serving as a living shield. All this left Soren feeling slightly inadequate, though he felled a good number of Begnion soldiers.

It was for that reason, instead of going straight to bed as soon as he picked up a new tome and settled in for a night of studying. He probably could have studied until sunrise if Rajaion hadn't started nagging him.

"_Go to sleep, Sen." _Soren couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Rajaion had just woken up.

"_I will, just as soon as I finish this chap-"_

"_Now. Staying up this late isn't healthy. Do you have any idea what your mother will do to me if you get sick?"_

"_I can imagine. Very well, then. Good night, Raj."_

"_Hm . . . "_

* * *

During the previous war, Soren had voluntarily separated himself from the rest of the army as much as possible, but now it was the army that avoided him. He had expected it, of course, and had experienced it to a lesser degree in Goldoa. It was because he was Branded, and just like Rajaion's joke about that subject, it didn't bother him anywhere near as much as it should have. In fact, he was thankful for the solitude. He was able to devote most of his free time to study rather than pointless chatter, and he had his uncle and a few of his old friends for company, including one he hadn't thought would get involved.

"_Have you heard anything from Kurth?" _Soren tried to sound casual, though there was no reason for it. Both he and Rajaion knew that Soren was waiting to hear from his mother. Even with the aid of a Sending Stone, it was difficult for him to communicate over such a large distance, so most messages were directed to Rajaion. Whenever Almedha had a message for her son, she sent it to one of her brothers, who would then tell Soren.

"_Not since we arrived, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing."_

"_I suppose that's true, but-_Ack!" He didn't have to turn to know who had once again nearly strangled him by pulling on the leather strap around his neck. "Was that really necessary?"

"Well, sort of. I had to stop you somehow, and I didn't think you'd appreciate being pounced upon." Despite Ranulf's tendency to be more of an irritant than anything else, Soren had to admit to himself that he didn't hate the cat. It may have been because Ranulf and Skrimir were the only beast tribe laguz that weren't avoiding him.

"How very thoughtful of you." He made no effort to disguise his sarcasm.

"I know. Anyway, someone arrived last night who I thought you'd like to see." Ranulf grabbed Soren by the wrist and half led, half-dragged him to a tent with a dark blue wyvern sleeping nearby.

"Haar?" He entered the tent, to find the dragonmaster asleep, as usual. "Haar!"

"What? Oh, Soren. Imagine seeing you here."

"Where else would I be? You know I have never liked Begnion, or the apostle; why wouldn't I take this opportunity to fight against her?"

"I guess some things never change. I think I hear Mist calling you; why don't you go see what she wants and let me get some sleep?"

* * *

As it turned out, Mist was sent by her brother to fetch Soren for the war meeting, which he had been on his way to before Ranulf tried to kill him. These meetings were becoming routine for him, and although the situations that were discussed were always different, certain things never changed. For example, Skrimir never failed to mention Soren's height in some way, and Rajaion was never present. The first real shock came when the laguz claimed to have a plan, and it turned out to be a halfway decent one.

Thanks to that plan, and the incompetence of the senate's commanders, the following battle went smoothly, for the most part, until a dragonmaster managed to get a hold on Rolf. Almost everyone was too afraid of hitting the young sniper to attack the dragonmaster. It looked as though it was the end for Rolf, but just before the Begnion soldier let his axe fall, a roar, like a wyvern's but much louder, startled him into dropping both his weapon and hostage. A single arrow from Shinon finished him off.

As he watched the remaining enemies retreat, Soren thanked Rajaion for his help, and Rajaion complained that he was going to have a sore throat for the rest of the week.

That battle may have been a success, but the plan itself was a failure, thanks to the ravens.

* * *

"...Once you get to the supply camp, you must simply burn the crates where the senators store their things. Unfortunately, I would advise against killing the senators themselves. Is this strategy acceptable?" Soren had just finished giving the details of a plan he hoped would turn things in their favor once again.

Tibarn was the first to respond, "Yes, this is a sound strategy. However, I noticed you failed to include yourself in these tactics."

"I'm sorry, but I will not be able to participate."

"Is there a particular reason?"

Skrimir decided to answer for Soren, and he was not as polite as Tibarn, "You need to ask? The tiny strategist is obviously afraid."

"That's not it at all! I have my reasons, but they are no concern of yours. I will not be participating, and that is all you need to know!" He stormed out of the tent where the meeting was being held, and back to his own tent without looking back. He had managed to calm down slightly in the half hour it took Ike to come find him.

"Soren."

"I'm sorry. I tried to keep calm, but I've had trouble controlling my emotions ever since . . . "

"The . . . experiments?" Soren nodded. "It's fine if you don't want to come. I know that whatever reasons you have must be very good ones, and you've already done so much, I'm not going to force you."

"Thank you."

* * *

Just out of curiosity, does anyone who's reading this actually like Pelleas? As a character, not as a unit. Just wondering.


	18. Chapter 18

Am I the only one who thinks you should have been able to steal the horses in this chapter of the game? That would have been so cool, an instantaneous promotion to a mounted unit. Maybe in future Fire Emblem games they'll let us buy horses or wyverns. A pegasus would be a waste of gold though. One encounter with an archer and they drop like stones. In other news, I am sorry to announce the return of the craptastic battle scene.

* * *

"Will you _please_ stop that? You're making me dizzy." The current strategy required as large an attack force as possible, leaving only those who couldn't, or wouldn't fight at the camp. Among these were Rajaion, who was sitting on a bench and looking immensely bored and slightly frustrated, and Soren, who was pacing anxiously in front of him.

"I can't help it. I hate not knowing what's happening!" He sped up, and Rajaion's frustration grew.

"If you're that concerned, why didn't you go? I'm sure there's somewhere where you could have observed the whole thing without being seen. I could fly you over now, if you want."

"No. I can't afford to take chances anymore. If one of the senators saw me, and if they recognized me, you know I would have to do whatever they told me to do. If I didn't, innocent people would die, but if I did, I'd probably have to kill Haar, or Ike, or . . . ," Soren took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm himself, "I'd rather die than make that choice. And this is all because I signed that stupid contract! How could I have been so stupid?" As if his short speech had drained his energy, Soren slumped down on the bench beside his uncle, who put his arm around his nephew's shoulders.

"I could go kill all the Senators for you, as long as you don't tell father." Soren looked at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the responsible one?" Soren was smiling a bit now.

"I usually am, but I can't just watch my family suffer."

"I see. Speaking of responsibilities, does Nasir know that Ena is pregnant?" Soren's smile turned into a smirk.

"Who told you that?"

"Kurth. Now answer the question."

"I swear, I am going to _kill_ that kid when we get back. And yes, he knows. He looked ready to murder me when we told him, and probably would have if Ena wasn't in the room at the time. I have never met anyone that protective."

"Yes, I'm sure that red dragon you pummeled last year would agree with you." His sarcastic tone was unmistakable.

"He had it coming, and besides, we heal quickly. Look, the fog's clearing. They should be back any minute now. Shall we go greet them?" Soren's feelings of anxiety almost disappeared as they walked. Through the fading fog, smoke was clearly visible, rising from the general direction of Begnion's supply camp.

The returning army had barely gotten past the first set of tents before Soren started asking Ike questions about the battle.

"Well? Did things go as planned? Was anyone hurt?" Though his questions were somewhat childish, his tone was completely professional.

"Obviously." That came from Ranulf, who was currently being tended to by Mist and Rhys a short distance away.

Soren glared at the cat. "I meant anyone important." He turned his attention back to Ike.

"Everything was exactly as you predicted. Heather even managed to salvage a few things from the burning crates. None of the Senators were harmed."

"You say that like it's a good thing," Soren mumbled, too low for any beorc to understand.

"What was that?"

"Nothing important. Are you sure no one was injured?"

"Not seriously. We were very lucky."

Ranulf could be heard in the background, complaining loudly about their lack of sympathy.

* * *

Soren couldn't believe how stubborn the laguz were being. They had started the meeting by complimenting his previous strategies, but then they refused to listen to reason. They all seemed intent on getting themselves killed by the Central Army. Because of that, he was now fighting his way up a cliff, when he should be negotiating a peace treaty.

The Begnion forces had the advantage; it was easy for them to take aim from their positions near the top of the cliff. The cliff wasn't particularly steep, but it still gave Soren, who wasn't particularly fond of so much physical activity, a hard time. Shinon commented on this at least five times before his hair mysteriously caught fire.

They reached the top just in time to see Zelgius defeat Skrimir. It was strange, but even though Soren had never seen Zelgius fight before, his fighting style seemed familiar. He was too concerned by this to feel any strong emotion as Zelgius made his speech, though he would be sure to have a nice, long talk with Skrimir when they got back to the base.

The two armies went their separate ways, the Laguz Alliance having been given three days to either surrender or retreat. Though the army was in poor spirits as they returned, Soren felt strangely satisfied with the knowledge that no one, not even himself, could blame him for this defeat.

As she passed the strategist, Lethe hissed, "If you so much as _think _the words 'I told you so' I will murder you in your sleep."

Soren was almost certain she wouldn't carry through with the threat, but he still spent the night with Rajaion. At Soren's request, Rajaion sent a message to Almedha, informing her of what had happened. When asked how things were in Daein, she only said that s_omething_ was happening. Or at least, that's what Rajaion told Soren. It wouldn't be the first time he withheld information to avoid his nephew's wrath.

* * *

I seem to have run out of things to say. Again. Let's see . . . I'm getting a fish tomorrow, and I think I'm going to name it Lord Woo Fak Fak. And I beat Minesweeper on Intermediate mode the other day. Okay, I give up. I'll try to have something more entertaining to comment on in the next chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

I had to get blood tests today, so I can't move my left arm, so I'm typing this using only my right hand, and I think I'm getting carpal tunnel. So you had all better appreciate this chapter. And I still haven't beaten Minesweeper on Expert mode. This just isn't my day. I did have a nice long rant prepared for you, but that plan was destroyed at the last minute . . . They really shouldn't take that much blood from someone who they think is anorexic. I'm not, by the way, but my doctor thinks I am.

* * *

Soren decided to stay with the mercenaries, instead of accompanying the army in its retreat. Strategically, it was a poor decision, but he wanted to spend more time with Ike and Haar before returning to Goldoa. Rajaion also stayed, of course. The two of them, along with Ike and Titania, were discussing the future of the war when the Begnion Army attacked.

The Begnion general had apparently wanted it to be a surprise attack, but Rajaion had heard them coming before they were even within sight. Thus it was the Begnion army that was surprised when they arrived to find the castle well defended. It didn't take long for them to retreat.

"Well, it's a good thing we have you here. That could have been bad if they caught us off guard," said Titania, as the mercenaries prepared to leave.

"Hm . . . well, I'm afraid I have more bad news." Rajaion cast a nervous glance in Soren's direction as he spoke, and was relieved to see that none of his tomes were within arms reach.

"_What bad news? What didn't you tell me?"_

"I just got a message from my sister. Daein will be joining the fight soon, and will be fighting alongside Begnion."

"I don't understand. Why would . . . ?" Ike looked toward Soren, who just shook his head.

"I have no idea. I haven't been to Daein for years now, and I have never met this Pelleas. But the reason doesn't matter. What does matter is what course of action they take."

"That's easy. They plan to intercept the army as it retreats. They won't attack until dark."

"Will you be able to reach Ranulf in time to warn them about the ambush?" Rajaion nodded, looking offended that it was even a question, "Well then, it's simply a matter of avoiding their trap, and drawing them into one of our own."

* * *

Many of the soldiers they fought the next day were half asleep, probably from waiting all night for an advance that never came. Even with the Black Knight on the opposing side, it was hardly a fair fight. Soren was mildly surprised at Ike's self control, he didn't take even one step toward the Knight.

They were able to distract the Daein army long enough for the main force to cross the river, and Soren had the satisfaction of not only a job well done, but also of hearing Skrimir apologizing for not taking his advice earlier.

Even with the victory, the Laguz Alliance was forced to retreat into Serenes Forest, heading for a secret passage into Gallia. When that option was eliminated, they changed their course to the Kauku Caves, which would lead them out of danger, as long as they didn't fall into the lava.

"Ugh, this heat is killing me. How far away is the exit?" The heat of the caves was affecting them all, but those in armor, like Gatrie, were feeling the worst of it.

"Well, that depends on which exit you want. Getting to Gallia will take another six hours, at least," Rajaion paused as Gatrie groaned in agony, "There is another exit, however, which leads to Goldoa. That one is just under half an hour away."

"Soren, what do you think?" Oddly enough, it wasn't Ike that asked, but Ranulf.

"I would choose the Goldoan exit. These caves are dangerous, and the sooner we get out of here, the better."

"Ike, company!" They all looked in the direction Janaff was pointing, and could just barely see the red armor of the Begnion army.

"Persistent, aren't they? Senerio, can you take them to the exit? I'll take care of this."

Soren nodded and headed deeper into the caves, assuring everyone that Rajaion would be fine without help. The sage was almost overjoyed to see the familiar wasteland, but the Goldoan border patrols were anything but happy to see an army of outsiders entering the country.

"You! By whose authority have you brought these . . . people into this land?" The question was not directed at the group as a whole, but at Soren specifically.

"They are here by my authority, and that of Prince Rajaion. If you have a problem with it, you can take it up with King Dheginsea."

Unfortunately for the two princes, the border patrol chose to do exactly that. As soon as Rajaion emerged from the cave, the entire group was taken to the Goldoan palace, and the leaders were taken to speak with the king. Thanks to a few well-placed comments from a few different people, Nasir and Ena included, they did not have to go back through the caves, although Soren and Rajaion probably would have preferred that option.

"I understand your predicament. You may all stay in the palace this night, but you must leave on the morrow. You may leave, but you two," the king indicated his son and grandson, "stay."

The soundproof walls barely contained the angry shouts.

* * *

This really should be longer, but my arm hurts, and my wrist hurts, and on top of everything else I think I'm getting a cold. I just have a few more things to say before I put this up and go to bed. First I have to explain how I think the Blood Pacts work. I think the way the contract works is that it uses the blood of the person to determine which country they rule, and thus, which country to kill. It needs the blood of the royal family to kill the subjects, so if the person wasn't part of the royal family, like Pelleas, it wouldn't do anything. I don't know if this is correct, but that's how they work in this fic.

The senators know Pelleas isn't part of the royal family, so they know the Blood Pact won't do anything, but Pelleas doesn't. He thinks that Daein will die if he doesn't do what the Senators say, so it doesn't matter whether anything actually will happen or not. As long as he believes something will happen, they have power over him.

Now, Soren is a different matter. Not only would Daein die if he broke the contract, but Goldoa would too. So now the Senators have power over Daein now, Daein if Soren ever gets the throne back, and Goldoa. I hope this answers any questions you may have had about that, but if it doesn't just ask and I'll try to explain it better.

Goodnight, see you next chapter.


	20. Chapter 20

All right, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that school starts tomorrow. The good news is that I don't have as many classes as I did last semester. I'll try to keep updating roughly every eight days, but no promises.

* * *

After being yelled at for over an hour, Soren retreated to his room. The wall opposite the door was composed entirely of windows, and he was watching the sunset through them when Ike came through the door.

"Did you need something?" Soren turned from the windows and sat on the edge of the bed, motioning for the beorc to do the same.

"I just came to see if you were all right. Kurthnaga said you had a headache."

"I guess that's one way of putting it. I don't think I've ever heard someone yell quite that loud before."

"I hope we didn't get you into too much trouble."

"Don't worry about it. I got off easy; Rajaion claims to have gone partially deaf. It wasn't anything we didn't deserve. We did break the rules, after all."

"Rules?"

"Don't leave the country without giving advance notice, don't cause unnecessary chaos and don't bring outsiders into the country without permission. This is actually the first time I've broken any of them."

Ike couldn't think of a way to reply to that, so instead he asked something that he'd been wondering since they arrived, "Have you always lived like this?"

"More or less. I didn't have anywhere near as much freedom in Daein as I do here, but the servants there didn't complain as much about having to do what I said." His tone was casual, but Ike could have sworn he saw tears come to the sage's eyes when he mentioned his homeland.

"You still miss that place, huh?"

"Is it that obvious? 'Miss' is an understatement. Truth be told, at the moment I would like nothing more than to see Pelleas dead. Then I might finally be able to go back. But that's not important right now. I may not be able to leave with you in the morning, so we'll need to go over a few scenarios and strategies while we have the chance. You do want to be prepared, don't you?"

Ike groaned; it was going to be a long night.

* * *

As it turned out, the preparations were not needed. Rajaion had succeeded in convincing the king to allow them to continue traveling with the army. As he confessed to his nephew, this was only because he had told Dheginsea that the two of them would be leaving with or without his consent.

They were escorted to the border by Nasir and Ena. Soren spent most of the trip answering the questions everyone had about Goldoa, while Rajaion spent the trip talking with their guides.

When they reached Castle Gallia, they were introduced to Nailah. Soren was glad to hear that in her country the Branded were not treated any different from laguz or beorc, and Rajaion was thrilled to learn that the wolves had survived the flood. Apparently he had been close friends with one of the queen's ancestors.

In addition to being allowed to leave Goldoa, Rajaion had been given permission to fight, as long as he didn't transform. Most laguz were trained to defend themselves in their untransformed state, but he had taken his training much further than most, and the dragon was more than happy to use that training to defend Queen Elincia.

After the battle, they were invited to Castle Crimea by Elincia and Sanaki. While the leaders of the countries discussed plans for the future, Soren listened from the hall, having been told by the Apostle that what they were discussing did not concern him and that he was not welcome in her presence. Rajaion _had_ been invited to participate but had refused, stating in plain terms that he would support whatever decision was reached, and that he had something else he needed to take care of.

Sanaki was not very happy when the thing that Rajaion deemed to be more worthy of his time than meeting with her turned out to be shopping. The mercenaries, however, were very pleased with the new armor, weapons and clothes that he provided for them to replace that which had been damaged in battle and the trek through the caves.

Soren was used to his uncles buying him excessively expensive gifts, but had to object when he saw that the set of robes that Rajaion brought him came with an emerald pendant that looked like it was several centuries old.

"Relax. The robes may have cost a small fortune, but I didn't spend even one gold piece on that." He waited until his nephew put the pendant on before continuing, "It was given to me by my mother. I've never liked wearing jewelry, and it might serve to remind _Empress_ Sanaki of your rank and class. Consider it a gift from your late grandmother. I'm sure that if she had met you, she would have given it to you herself."

* * *

"I just don't understand how you can trust him. Three years ago he betrayed his own country and deceived us all. Who's to say he won't do so again?" Sanaki had apparently forgotten that the subject of her rant was currently standing right in front of her. When she learned that Soren had all but been controlling the army thus far, she started listing off the reasons why he was not to be trusted, and why they were idiots for doing so. "In addition to all that, he openly admits to being Branded, a sin against the goddess Ashera! How can you allow such an abomination into your ranks?!"

As soon as she said the word 'sin', Rajaion's uninterested expression turned to one of such pure hatred that it would have made Ashnard flinch. "How _dare_ you-"

"I don't have to listen to this. Come get me when she grows up." Soren turned to leave, but didn't go more than a few steps before Sanaki stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't you walk away from me." That command was all it took. Soren didn't know what the Blood Pact had said, he didn't know if he would be required to obey her orders as well as the senate's, but as he had told Rajaion, he could not afford to take chances. He went back to his place between Ike and Rajaion in silence, and for the rest of the meeting answered questions as quietly and with as few words as possible.

After the meeting, he was held back by Ike, who waited until even the laguz were out of hearing range before speaking, "Soren . . . "

"I'm sorry, it was immature of me to try to walk away like that. It won't happen again."

"No, she had no right to say those things, if anything I should apologize for making you listen to it. I just wanted to know why you came back. Even I could see that you didn't want to. I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"It's . . . If I tell you, you must promise not to tell anyone."

"Not if you don't want me to."

Soren pulled up his sleeve to expose his arm, then slowly unwound the bandages that covered the mark that the Blood Pact had left there.

"I don't understand. What is this?"

"Shortly after the last war, I did something very stupid. I signed a contract that forces me to obey any order given to me by the ruling powers of Begnion. If I don't . . . well, my dignity is a small price to pay for the lives of the citizens of two countries." Just like the last time he had kept a secret from Ike, as soon as it was out he burst into quiet tears, but unlike the last time, he didn't run away.

Ike pulled the prince into a hug. "I would say that it's all right, but it isn't, is it?"

* * *

There, now everyone but Ike has been promoted.

You know, I noticed something strange about the chapter of the game where you have to protect Elincia. Even if Soren is promoted by that chapter, he will still be wearing his Wind Sage robes in the scene before the fight. He must be able to change very fast.


	21. Chapter 21

In case you were wondering, no, I did not get Spore yet, and I don't think I will. It looked like a fun game, but EA ruined it with their 'security' features. It's supposed to prevent piracy, but it's just causing more of it. Idiots. Maybe the Senate is controlling them too.

By the way, this is now officially the longest thing I have ever written. At least, It has more chapters than anything else I've ever written.

* * *

Soren and Sanaki had not been in the same room since the meeting, which suited both of them just fine; Soren liked not being insulted every few seconds, and Sanaki liked not having to breathe the same air as a Branded. The attack strategy had been discussed without the Apostle, and only Ike raised the slightest objections when Soren announced that he would, once again, not be participating.

"Are you sure about this? You won't have another anxiety attack?"

"I'm sure, Ike. You know the Apostle won't react well if I join you in battle, and none of us can afford to have her angry. Besides, Rajaion and I will be keeping an eye on things from the air."

And that's what they did, at least for a few minutes. However, against better judgement, they made a slight detour when Rajaion spotted a slightly familiar green-haired teen a short distance away.

"Sothe!" Rajaion landed near the Rogue and his companion, just out of range of the girl's magic.

Sothe was at a loss for words; the girl was not. "Who . . . who_ are_ you?"

Soren ignored her question. "You are the Maiden of Dawn, are you not?" The girl nodded. "Then I have a message for you to deliver to King Pelleas. Tell him that it does not matter what his motives are, if he continues to follow this path I will bring an end to this war, and him, myself. Sothe knows who I am, and he should know that this is not an empty threat."

Without waiting for a response, Rajaion launched into the air flew back to the bridge.

* * *

Soren did not tell the leaders of the army about the conversation right away, but instead waited until Rajaion learned from Almedha what the Spirit Charmer's motives were.

"Well Sen, it seems I finally have some good news for you." Rajaion didn't bother checking to see if Soren had any weapons with him.

"And that would be . . . ?"

"Well, Micaiah, that young woman you spoke with, delivered your message."

"And?"

"Pelleas told her, along with Almedha and a few others, his reasons for helping Begnion. Apparently, you aren't the only one to have been tricked into signing a Blood Pact."

"How, exactly, is this good news?"

"As soon as she found out, your mother told him exactly how to break the damn thing, so he should be dead within a few days. He asked Micaiah to do it, but she hasn't made up her mind yet. If she says no, he'll probably just ask someone else."

Soren was in a very good mood for the rest of the day, which led Ike to make sure that he knew the rules about interacting with Mist were still in effect.

* * *

Since the Apostle was not in the area, Soren was able to fight in the next battle. It was going well, until one of the Holy Guard came to tell them of an attack on Sanaki and her guards.

"Soren, will you be able to convince any of the Daein forces to listen to you?" A small force had broken off from the main fight to go to the Apostle's rescue, and they were trying to come up with a strategy while rushing to her aid.

"I don't think so, Ike. Very few people were loyal to me personally. I could try, but . . . " he trailed off. He didn't need to say that it would do no good - everyone knew that already. "I really think this has gone beyond negotiations. The Maiden is very attached to Sothe though . . . maybe if we drop him off a cliff she'll listen." He was half joking when he said that, but it's exactly what they decided to do.

Soren stayed for a few moments longer than Ike, just long enough to give Micaiah one more message to give to Pelleas: "You were warned."

* * *

Sanaki tried to keep Soren out of the meeting after the battle, but was not successful. Not that it mattered much; there was not much anyone could do about the situation. Even after hours of discussion, no decision was reached, and they unanimously called the meeting to an end. Whatever course of action they took, it would have to be decided in the morning.

The two Goldoans remained awake a while longer; Rajaion had just received an update from his sister.

"Sen, do me a favor and try not to overreact to what I'm about to say. Micaiah . . . refused Pelleas's request. Not only that, but she isn't allowing anyone else to kill him either."

There was a long pause before Soren replied.

"Raj," he began, a slightly dangerous tone in his voice, "How long would it take Kurth to get here?"

* * *

All right, so . . . The whole Daein army vs. Two and a half Black Dragons. Who do you think will win?

Wow, I just realized how close to the end I'm getting. I actually have most of the last chapter typed up, but the ones in-between now and then are still in the 'how do I make this work and not sound ridiculous' phase. Anyway, I have no idea what I'm going to be doing after this story's done. If I don't get some ideas soon, I might have to write that thing that I mentioned in way back in chapter ten.


	22. Chapter 22

It's been quite some time since I updated. Up until now, I've been too busy, sick or tired to update. I did manage to beat minesweeper on Expert mode, though. This chapter is nowhere near long or good enough to make up for the wait, and I'm sorry for that.

* * *

"How much longer can they hold out?" Ike looked to Soren, as if he would know the answer to the question. The Daein army had been on the defensive for the better part of an hour, but somehow had managed to keep their attackers from gaining any ground.

Soren looked to the sky for a few moments before answering, "Well, the reinforcements should be here any moment, so we shouldn't have to waste much more time here."

"Reinforcements?"

Soren didn't need to answer, Ike's question was answered be the blast of blue energy that toppled one of the castle's towers. A few more blasts and the castle was all but completely destroyed.

"A Black Dragon . . . ? But I thought Rajaion wasn't allowed to transform?" Soren turned to find Ranulf and Tibarn standing nearby - he hadn't been able to hear their approach over the falling stone and screams.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here." The Goldoan prince casually strode into the courtyard where the battle had been taking place.

"What? If you're here, then that must be . . . "

"Kurthnaga. I asked him to come help us bring an end to this."

"And not a moment too soon." Ranulf cast a long glance at the wreckage. "Your family doesn't do anything halfway, does it?" and then to Soren, as an afterthought, "Other than you, that is."

* * *

Immediately after the battle, Soren grabbed his most powerful tomes and left to find a quiet place to study. He had a feeling he would be needing them very soon. Just as he was setting the second one aside, convinced that he would be able to use the spells it contained without difficulty, he was interrupted.

"Hello, General. Do you need my help with something?"

"You're in an awfully good mood."

"Why shouldn't I be? ...I guess I'm just excited. If everything goes as planned, I'll finally be able to meet my mother soon."

"Finally? You've never met her before?" Soren shook his head. "That's horrible."

"It's not so bad. I still spoke with her occasionally."

This confused Ike for a few seconds, then he remembered what his friend had said about the dragons' telepathy. "Who raised you then? I assume Ashnard didn't."

"No . . . Ena took care of me, for the most part. We didn't get along very well a lot of the time, but she did her job well."

* * *

As it turned out, only one dragon joined the Apostle's Army. Rajaion and Kurthnaga chose to stay behind to guard Leanne.

As soon as Soren saw the Dark Sage, he knew it was Pelleas. He didn't care if the 'king' of his country was surrounded by Daein's elite soldiers, the only thing going through his mind was that Pelleas had to die. His magic cut down all enemies foolish enough to get in his way as he made his way to the Spirit Charmer.

Pelleas seemed surprised by this show of magical strength, but as Soren got closer, he nodded, as if in understanding. "So that explains it. That mark . . . you're a Spirit Charmer, like me."

"Wrong." As he spoke, Soren released the strongest of the spells he'd memorized earlier. Pelleas just barely managed to dodge it. "Who are you?"

"I am Pelleas, King of Daein."

"Wrong _again_." He sent another spell at the sage. This time Pelleas wasn't fast enough, and the spell left him kneeling in the snow, blood staining his robes and cape in many places. As he prepared his next spell, Soren felt a strange essence, or power surround him. He didn't know exactly what it was, but summoned it just like he would a spirit. A light flared, and when it faded, the Archsage found Pelleas dead, and many people, both enemies and allies, staring at him in amazement.

He was about to strike down the distracted enemies when Kurthnaga interrupted him. _"Sen, get back here. Now."_

* * *

Soren had arrived just in time to hear the Galdr of Release echoing through the halls. The events after that were mostly a blur to him. While Ike and a few others spoke with the Maiden of Dawn, the Goldoans tried to figure out what they would do. Or rather, the dragons tried to help Soren decide what to do. He was torn between accompanying Ike, going with Rajaion who, was in turn going to travel with what had been coined the Hawk Army, and simply making his way to Nevassa and staying in Daein.

Eventually, once it became apparent that Soren was incapable of making the decision himself, Rajaion sent him with Ike's group. If there was one person he trusted to take care of his future wife, brother and nephew, it was the beorc general.

* * *

As I said, this chapter cannot make up for the long wait. Anyway, there are two things that I need to ask you. As with all of my questions in these notes, no answer is actually required. First, I need ideas for a name, because Rajaion's alive. If he's alive, it would be weird for him to name his kid Rajaion II, and he just doesn't seem like he would do it. So his kid needs a new name. Second, if a Branded gets attacked by somebody using a weapon that was specifically created to kill laguz, do you think it would do more damage than a normal weapon?


	23. Chapter 23

Rajaion's kid now has a name. Thank you for all the suggestions. The decision was made by putting all the suggestions in a hat and picking one at random. Also, Adriannu255 has written a fic called A Prince's Journey, in which Soren is raised by Almedha. Go read it or I'll . . . uh . . . it appears I have run out of threats. Oh, I know! I'll throw Izuka's left arm at your face.

* * *

The journey to the goddess's tower had everyone on edge, despite the calm surroundings. The statues that the army passed were largely to blame for this, but the silence that had fallen over the Goldoans certainly didn't help. For the most part they only spoke when being asked a direct question, and then it was as short an answer as possible. Nearly everyone stopped at least once to ask them if they were feeling all right, with the only notable exception being Shinon. These questions were always answered with a bland 'yes', a polite nod, or, in Soren's case, silence.

When Aimee asked Ike to give a tome to Soren, Ike decided he was going to confront him about whatever was bothering him, and not leave him alone until he got an answer that was at least a full sentence in length. He was saved the trouble of locating the Arch Sage; the two of them very nearly collided when the magic-user rounded a corner.

"Soren, do you have-"

"We don't have time to talk, we're under attack. In fact," he glanced at the perimeter of the camp, "it seems they have us surrounded."

"What?!" the general also glanced at the perimeter, but saw only darkness.

"Sometimes I wonder how you beorc have managed to survive so long with such horrible night vision," Soren muttered, as he made his way toward the nearest gap in the camp's defenses.

* * *

It had barely been five minutes since the battle had ended, and already Soren was entering his uncle's tent. Kurthnaga had never liked fighting, and hated the sight and smell of blood, so the Arch Sage made sure to inspect his robes for traces of it before he entered.

"Kurth? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine . . . ugh . . . "

Soren turned to glare at whoever had just entered the room, but calmed himself when he saw it was Ike.

"General, if it isn't too much trouble, would you mind leaving your sword outside?"

"What? Oh, of course." He exited the tent, returning a few moments later without the weapon. "Now, what's bothering you two? And don't even think about saying that it's nothing for me to worry about." The question was directed at both of them, but was meant primarily for Soren. His current behavior was far too similar to how he acted during the previous war for Ike's tastes.

"All right, then it's none of your business." His tone was defensive, and a little angry.

"Soren . . . " Kurthnaga was just as concerned about his nephew as Ike was, but he was less demanding.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't tell me you've managed to find a way to blame this on yourself."

"No . . . not on me personally."

Ike rolled his eyes and muttered "Here we go again" under his breath.

Kurthnaga took it far more seriously. "Soren, you can't honestly be taking that seriously! That has nothing to do with it. Micaiah woke up Ashera and Yune with the Galdr of Release."

"Wait, what is 'that' and what does it have to do with anything?"

"It is commonly believed by laguz that the birth of someone such as myself will bring the end of the world a century closer."

"And it's complete rubbish." None of them had noticed Ena entering the tent. "General Ike, Prince Kurth, I do not have authority over you, but you," she put a hand on the Soren's shoulder, "are going to bed."

Of course, he would be getting a lecture first.

* * *

When a Senator showed up at Duke Tanas' mansion, Soren was not afraid to attack him, and in fact only barely missed with Blizzard. The other Senator, however, appeared to know nothing of his Blood Pact. Because of this, and the fact that Oliver had decided to join them Soren was not permitted to finish the human blob off. Although Ike did hint that if a freak snowstorm were to hit and crush the 'saint' under a few large blocks of ice, nobody would be too terribly upset.

"Oh, by the way, Aimee asked me to give this to you." Ike handed the tome that he'd been carrying to the magic-user.

"How kind of her."

"You haven't been conspiring with her again, have you?"

"..."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I didn't say that."

"No, you didn't say anything at all, and with you it's the same thing. Why do you do that, anyway? I've been wondering for a while."

"I only do that when I know people won't like the answer, or will use it against me. Usually a combination of the two."

"I see. Have you always done that?"

"Ah . . . well, lying to the king or the Four Riders was never a good idea, and getting caught was a painful experience that even the least intelligent of people will only make once or twice. I learned my lesson quickly, and haven't lied since then,"

* * *

I'm so close to the end. There are only two chapters left. Luckily I have decided what my next fic will be. Sort of. Actually, I just decided that Nasir will be a major character, if only because he doesn't have any fics about him that I know of. Other than that, I have nothing.


	24. Chapter 24

Here are my pathetic excuses for why this took so long: School, I got hooked on WoW (again), I couldn't find a script so I had to watch a video playthrough of the endgame about one minute at a time to make sure I didn't screw anything up, when I was almost done the chapter I changed my mind about what I was going to do with Nasir and Sephiran so I had to go through and add parts in, take parts out, modify other parts . . . and finally, I forgot the title of the story I was going to recommend and had to go find it. A Means for an End by Gaara's Crimson Tears. Go read it or a little orange bird named Ashera will follow you for the rest of your life and peck you when you do anything that doesn't fit in the Lawful Good category.

* * *

The glowing tower was visible long before the city was, and was unanimously taken to be a bad sign. For Soren, this was confirmed when they arrived at the gates to find Micaiah glaring at him whenever possible, Sanaki preparing her usual 'we shouldn't trust him' speech, and Skrimir acting like, well, Skrimir. He wasn't sure how much more he could take before he sent a tornado after one or all of them. Luckily for them, they were saved by the appearance of the Hawk Army.

The Arch Sage was a bit confused to see Rajaion carrying a white and purple staff, but the dragon left immediately after he handed it to his nephew to go catch up with Ena, not giving him any chance to ask about it. Instead, he asked Tibarn if they had had any trouble with the senators on their journey.

"Yes, but you can thank Izuka for that staff."

"What?!" Soren had a sudden urge to break the staff. "What happened?"

"Nothing; your overgrown lizard of an uncle took him out before he could do much of anything. When he said he was going to tear the madman limb from limb, I didn't think he meant it _literally_."

* * *

When the news came from June that the majority of the Goldoans had joined the goddess and were waiting in the tower, Soren couldn't say that it came as a surprise. Dheginsea had always been faithful to the teachings of the goddess, and very few of his subjects would defy their king.

After the initial shock of that revelation wore away, the discussion turned to who would be in the group that would climb to the top of the tower and attack Ashera. Soren was immediately suggested as someone who should not be allowed to enter the tower under any circumstances. As he had expected, Sanaki, Micaiah, Marcia and Astrid were the ones who were most in favor of this. What he hadn't expected was the number of people speaking up in his defense, among these Ike, Elincia and most of the laguz royals.

Soren, used to these debates, left them to their pointless arguing and went in search of a place where he could practice using the Rewarp staff in peace. He knew he would be going whether the empress decided to allow it or not, and he couldn't risk teleporting himself off a ledge in the middle of a battle.

Or, that was the plan. Just as he was about to test it, Ena showed up, telling him that Nasir had shown up and wanted to speak with the Goldoans. The two of them arrived to find Nasir, Rajaion and Kurthnaga waiting in silence.

"Well, since you're all here, I'll get strait to the point. I'm here to bring the four of you to the king."

"Nasir," Rajaion began, using the tone he usually reserved for highly formal political meetings, "you cannot honestly expect us to come with you. You know that would mean fighting against our current allies, and turning to stone once they have been stopped. It is not an acceptable option."

It took Nasir a moment to respond. "Very well then. I do not look forward to fighting any of you." He began to walk away, but was stopped by Rajaion.

"Wait right there! Would you honestly fight against your own granddaughter? Or even stand on opposite sides of the battlefield? Surely you, of all people, are old enough to understand that your family is more important than anything, even the words of the goddess."

This time it took him a long while to respond. "I...I would_ never_ . . . it seems I am destined to always turn against my king and country."

* * *

It was decided that the rulers of the countries would be the ones to enter the tower, as well as the dragons. They were barely through the entranceway when they were attacked by Lekain. Soren waited until the guards surrounding the 'saint' had been eliminated before he teleported next to him.

Lekain nearly fell off the platform when the Arch Sage appeared next to him. Soren's expression was not at all guarded; even Skrimir would have thought twice before making any demands, or even requests, of him.

"You . . . you can't kill me! If you do, you'll never be freed from the contract."

"I know."

"Wha-" The Senator fell forward, revealing Kurthnaga's knife sticking out of his back, and the prince standing behind him.

Soren knelt next to the corpse and removed the knife and the three Blood Pacts. He carefully cleaned the knife before handing it back to its owner, who promptly threw it into the abyss that made up the 'floor' of the tower. Soren paused to scan the contracts before he destroyed them. If he ever had reason to write one himself, he wanted to know how to do it right.

* * *

It barely took ten minutes for Ike to defeat the Black Knight, and just a few minutes more for the rest of the group to finish off Levail and his soldiers.

After receiving Yune's blessing, they entered the chamber where the dragons were waiting. Rajaion stepped forward and told everyone else to stay back before going to stand before the king.

"Father, I challenge you for the rulership of Goldoa." A few of the Goldoans gasped, the beorc looked confused, but the laguz kings and queen nodded in understanding. If Rajaion defeated Dheginsea, it would cut casualties on both sides.

"I accept your challenge." Both dragons transformed. Rajaion was huge, but even he only came up to Dheginsea's shoulder. The prince was the first to attack, and it looked as if the king didn't even try to dodge. When the king attacked in retaliation, he missed by such a large margin that it was obvious who would win. When the king fell, Kurthnaga and Rajaion were immediately at his side, quickly followed by the others that had opposed his wishes.

Those of Yune's Chosen who were not associated with Goldoa exited through the now-open door, promising to wait for them before challenging the goddess herself if they could.

After naming Rajaion king of Goldoa, Dheginsea gave the rest of them individual blessings. When he got to his grandson, he sighed and spent what was left of his life telling him how the Branded came to be and why their birth was considered a crime against the goddess.

Soren was speechless. He could only nod to indicate that he understood what had been said.

Rajaion stood and called for the strongest of the red dragons, and the swiftest of the white to follow him. The rest, he said, where to return to Goldoa.

The group was reunited outside of a huge door that was the only thing blocking their path. The door opened easily, revealing Ashera, surrounded by her protective auras.

"Allow us to take care of those," Rajaion said, directing the dragons he had selected to surround the goddess they had come to the tower to protect. They transformed and attacked in unison, destroying Ashera's last form of protection in an instant.

One final strike from Ike ended her.

* * *

The trek down the tower seemed longer than the one to the top.

"Hey." Soren stopped on the stairs, waiting for the new king to catch up. "Are you all right? You look paler than usual."

Soren smiled a little. "I'll be fine. I just need some time to think." His smile faded; he hadn't realized how tight his throat was until now.

"Hm . . . would it help if I told you that I asked your friend, Haar, I think, to go to Daein and get my sister?"

Soren was the first one to exit the tower.

* * *

Next chapter is the epilogue/endings chapter and will be out this weekend. If it's not, feel free to yell at me.


	25. Chapter 25

This chapter takes the place of the game epilogue. I left out all the unimportant characters. By the way, you may have noticed that this story is not listed as 'complete'. This is because I have decided that I will put the side story things on this one. It saves the people who want to read them the trouble of finding the new story, and saves me the trouble of coming up with a title. Anyway, for those who haven't beaten the game, in each little section there will be a bit of dialogue, followed by a short description of what the characters involved did with the rest of their life. Just like the game, but a bit more detailed.

* * *

"Hey, wait!"

Soren paused momentarily in his search for Haar to see who had called out to him. He was slightly disappointed to see that it was only Micaiah, with Sothe standing in the distance. He didn't even attempt to keep the annoyance out of his voice as he spoke, "Yes, what is it?"

"I just . . . ," She trailed off, apparently daunted by his tone. This didn't surprise him; he'd recently been informed that he had a tendency to growl when he was angry.

"Spit it out. I'm in a hurry." That was an understatement. He'd waited more than two decades to be able to speak to his mother in person, and he didn't appreciate the many delays. He wasn't really sure why he didn't just walk away from her.

"Why did you kill King Pelleas? He was a good king, and kind . . . he didn't deserve . . . " At that moment, Soren decided that he didn't like the girl, and never would.

"He was in my way, and he stole something of mine."

"Something of yours?"

"I should have been the king. That _Spirit Charmer_," he spoke the words as many would have said 'Branded' or 'Parentless', "had no right to take the throne."

"But you abandoned your country!" Soren couldn't deny her words; it was the truth, and they both knew it.

"That changes nothing. Pelleas is dead, and upon my return to Daein I will be taking the throne. If it makes you feel better, if I hadn't killed him, he would have died a much more painful death in a few years. The spirits that he took into his body would have eventually completely consumed his soul. The body can survive, at most, a few months without the soul, and those months would be far from pleasant." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blue tail of a wyvern flick out from behind a tent. "I have business to attend to. Good day."

Micaiah and Sothe were married, and spent many years traveling Tellius and helping the poor. Her memory of Pelleas, as well as Soren's words, inspired her to try to find a way to heal the soul of a Spirit Charmer. She searched until the end of her days but, sadly, never found one.

* * *

Soren arrived at Haar's tent to find Haar fast asleep, as usual, and a dark-haired woman kneeling by the Dragonlord's wyvern. As he approached, she raised her head to reveal red eyes and a mark near her hairline in the same color. She stood, brushing the dirt off her dress as she did so.

"Senerio?" Soren nodded, and the two of them stood in silence for over a minute; neither of them seemed to know quite what to say.

The silence was broken when Haar's wyvern woke up and, seeing Soren, came to see if he had any treats. On its way over, the wyvern brushed against his rider, knocking him over. When Haar continued to snore, the two royals started laughing.

Haar returned to Daein, serving as the new king's guard. He also instructed the new Dragonknights, when he wasn't sleeping.

* * *

The two of them had managed to calm down by the time Kurthnaga found them, Ena and Ike in tow. After quickly introducing Almedha and Ike, the discussion turned to who would be going where.

"I guess you'll be going back to that frozen wasteland you call a country?" Soren was almost certain Ike was trying to annoy him.

"Yes, but I think I will be going to Goldoa first, for the wedding. And Daein is _not_ a wasteland!"

"Ah, that reminds me, will you be attending the coronation?" Kurthnaga pointedly ignored Soren's glare as he asked Ike to come to the ceremony that his nephew had specifically asked to be kept private. Ike promised that he would be there if he could.

Soren, tired of his family and so-called friend going out of their way to irritate him, looked around for something to distract them with.

"Ena, you may want to rescue your future husband. He seems to have gotten himself into a bit of trouble." She turned and almost laughed when she saw that Oliver had managed to corner Rajaion. The fact that Nasir was standing off to the side and doing nothing to help his king didn't go unnoticed. _No one_ called Nasir old and got away with it.

Rajaion married Ena soon after their return to Goldoa, and a few years later the new queen gave birth to their son. The prince, named Reiam, grew to be one of the best fighters in Goldoa, but never defeated his father or Kurthnaga. From Kurthnaga, he learned how best to annoy his father, and from Soren he learned the fine art of subtlety. Nasir never stayed in one place long, but made frequent stops to both the palace in Goldoa and Daein keep.

* * *

Soren was crowned several months later. Ike had been able to attend the coronation, but also came to tell the new king of his plans to leave Tellius in search of other lands.

"I don't suppose you want to come with me, _King Soren_?"

"Stop that. I'm afraid I can't. I abandoned my country twice. I won't do so again. In any case, I have something that might help you on your journey." Soren led Ike through several corridors, so many that Ike was sure he wouldn't be able to find his way out without a guide. Eventually they arrived at what appeared to be an armory.

"You still have this thing?" Ike asked as they passed by Gurgurant, which was on one of the many tables in the room.

"Yes, I might find a use for it someday. This is what I brought you down here for," Soren said as he pulled a sheet of cloth off of what appeared to be a silver sword with words in the Ancient Language engraved on it. "I enchanted it myself. If you insist on going alone, you'll need a decent weapon."

As the years passed, it became apparent that Soren had inherited the near-immortality of the dragons. Just like his laguz relatives, he eventually stopped aging all together. His youthful looks and social standing led many women to try to get his attention. Their attempts were in vain; Soren never married. The king was treated with a great amount of respect by everyone, save his relatives. His great-granduncle-in-law in particular never missed an opportunity to tease him about his height, among other things.

* * *

Big thank yous to my reviewers: lordike, An Ordinary Fan, Weissparline, Svenny, PlasticPinkDagger, Sargent Snarky, Kittie, wetheril, h2m, Adriannu255, Tolea-String-PurpleChoco-Mage, Starry Dreams of Other Worlds, Schala85, Katah, he-who-needs-a-name, Chronostorm, The Digital Dimension, RandomTopic, :D, Cresha162, PreseaMoon, ujfug, Kyuubi-Jutsu, The Sage of Spirits, Mourning Phoenix, iwalkinthelight, Winged Senea, FE fanatic, gyjn, hfhjhgj, Chef Colette, laFia, Austin B., hthbgfh, Archsage Soren, dfdf, TheTwilightRurouni, ShinigamiXIII, anonymous, echo717, x-V.i.r.g.o.-x, hdfh, IkeandMia, Eienias20, psychotalk, Aquile, hfjnhjn, dghdgh, Gaara's Crimson Tears, Quathis, Demoness Drakon, and Thingy Person. Sorry if I missed you or misspelled your name. I wasn't exactly sure if the random letters were the same person or not so I listed them all just in case. Thank you all, as well as the readers. I hope this was at least mildly entertaining.


	26. Chapter 26

I'm back! Before I get to the first of my side-story things, I have a few things to ask. First, are dragon laguz warm or cold-blooded? This has been bugging me for a while now. I've put the question as a poll on my profile if you don't want to answer in a review. Second, does anyone have any tips for creating Fire Emblem characters in Soul Calibur IV? I've made some attempts but help would be appreciated, especially if it helps me fulfill my dream of seeing Soren beat the stuffing out of Ashnard. As for the chapter itself, it explains the Feral One experiment thing in more detail and also explains exactly how Rajaion was 'captured', but not in that order. Just to remind you, the experiment thing takes place when Soren is ten years old.

* * *

The entire population of Daein had celebrated when the prince was born, with only two exceptions. The prince's mother felt only fear for her child's safety. The king had, at first, been disappointed, but after some consideration had come to see it as an opportunity.

A scholar had recently come to him, claiming to have a potion that could turn a member of the dragon tribe into a wyvern of unparalleled speed and strength. Ashnard had been intrigued by the concept, but as Almedha had lost her laguz powers, and her child didn't appear to have any of his own, there was nothing he could do. He had almost killed the two of them in a blind rage, until he realized that he would be disposing of two valuable hostages. He had sent a message to Goldoa, demanding a member of the black dragon tribe in exchange for the lives of the princess and her son.

The doors to the throne room slammed open, causing Almedha to jump slightly, and waking up the young prince. Rajaion glared at Ashnard, and would have killed the man if he hadn't been holding his sword and standing within striking distance of Almedha.

"Come to save them, have you?"

"Not quite yet. First I need you to swear that no harm will ever come to them because of you."

"Why should I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I will bring this entire keep down upon your head." It was obvious that it was not an empty threat.

"Very well then, you have my word."

"Your word means nothing to me." Rajaion pulled a scroll out of his sleeve and tossed it at the king, who caught it midair. "Sign it."

As Ashnard read and grudgingly signed the Blood Pact, Rajaion spoke with his sister for what they both thought would be the last time.

"Rajaion, please, don't do this!"

Rajaion didn't respond, he just looked down at the baby she held. "He looks like you. Senerio . . . " The child had not been mentioned by name in the message, but Almedha had always said that was what she would name her first son.

The contract was given to Almedha for safekeeping, with instructions from Rajaion to tear it up when Ashnard finally got what he deserved. A dozen guards showed up soon afterwards to escort Rajaion to Izuka's laboratory.

* * *

The king had separated mother and child soon after that, and had called the boy Soren. From the time he was old enough to comprehend it, he had known that he was a Branded. He hadn't been told why he was not allowed to see his mother, but he simply accepted it as the result of a disagreement. He also didn't know that Ashnard had held him hostage, or that his father's wyvern was in fact his own uncle.

At first, Ashnard had not taken much interest at all in his son. He was too weak physically to use any weapon heavier than a dagger, making him useless as a fighter. However, Soren had stumbled upon a Wind tome one day and had been able to cast the lower level spells within a week. When he heard of this, Ashnard had brought in the best magic instructors in Daein and was almost proud to hear that he was well on his way to becoming a sage.

There was one other bit of information that made him think that the prince might not be the failure he had first suspected. According to Petrine, who had in turn received the information from Ena, Soren had a naturally analytical and calculating mind, but tended to take the emotions and potential suffering of others into too much consideration.

Soren was not necessarily surprised when two soldiers barged into his chambers; he had heard them coming long before they arrived.

"We are here on the king's orders. Please come with us." He didn't question the claim and followed them without question, at least until they lead him out one of the secret exits of the keep. A coach was waiting there for him. He emerged from the coach only a few hours later, and was lead into a small fortress by the same two guards.

When they brought him into a room with various mutilated corpses on the tables and floor, as well as some that didn't seem quite dead yet, Soren's first instinct was to run. Before he could even turn around, the guards grabbed his arms in a grip that made him cry out in pain.

"Ah, Prince Soren. So nice of you to join us."

"What? What's going on? Let go of me!"

"You'll see soon enough."

* * *

Ashnard showed up that evening, to inform Soren that he would be remaining there until he grew out of his childish notions of honor and compassion. The process took about three months. By then, the guards barely gripped his arms. There was almost no worry of him trying to escape; the prince stood still, barely moving at all. Even Izuka's taunts were answered only with a blink or a shrug. Only once did Izuka manage to get any kind of reaction from the mage.

"It seems you will be leaving soon." Soren blinked, but said nothing. "That's really too bad. I was hoping you might help me in future projects. I've always wondered what would happen to a Feral Branded." He moved as if to touch Soren's Brand, but when his hand passed near the prince's mouth, natural instinct took over, and the prince bit him. Hard.

"Hm, maybe a different subject would be better. I don't see how you could get any more feral."

The guards would later tell their colleagues how the prince had smiled with blood dripping from his mouth when Izuka turned his back to bandage his hand. A coach arrived the next day to take the prince back to the keep.

* * *

So, that's that. If you could help me with those two dilemmas I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, that would be great. But if you don't want to, that's fine too. I think the next chapter will be Soren's first visit to Goldoa. I'm going to stop typing now and make Elincia kill Heather for no apparent reason. Happy New Year!


	27. Chapter 27

It's been a long while since I've updated, and I only have the lame "other stuff to do" excuse. Anyway, this chapter includes the events leading up to Soren's first trip to Goldoa, the visit itself, and the consequences of the trip. In other news, how is there still snow outside?!

* * *

Five years after the prince had returned to the keep, and he was still suffering from the effects of the 'trip.' Or rather, those who worked and lived in the keep were suffering the effects. Even the most unobservant of the maids could tell after just a few moments in his presence that he was dangerously unstable. He hadn't actually attacked anyone yet, but that was hardly reassuring. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

The servants weren't the only ones to notice the change. The soldiers that had been hand-picked by the king to protect the keep prided themselves on their bravery and skill, but even they flinched when the prince turned his attention to them. Not even Ashnard had that effect on them.

When Soren finally achieved the status of Wind Sage and received a wyvern from his father, the inhabitants of the keep were almost ecstatic. If the prince had a convenient way to leave the keep, they hoped he would take it and give them at least a few minutes of peace a week. The only thing stopping them from celebrating was their fear of drawing the prince's attention.

Only one person was upset with the gift. To Ena, it was just one more similarity between the father and son. It was her job to take care of the prince, and for the first decade it was a duty she enjoyed. He had been almost nothing like his father, reminding her more of a young Rajaion. These days she had difficulty thinking of Soren as the nephew of her beloved, instead of Ashnard's heir. The most disturbing change, at least to her, was that Soren hadn't contacted his mother in years, and had in fact thrown his sending stone from a balcony. It was only through sheer luck that Ena had found it before anyone else. She decided the discarded stone would be a plausible reason for seeking him out.

She found Soren just outside the door to his chambers. She stopped just outside of the range of his spells and bowed slightly before speaking, "My lord prince. I found this outside and thought you must have dropped it." She held the stone in front of her, expecting the prince to take it.

Soren glanced at the stone and then back at the dragon. "I threw that away a year ago." He stepped toward her, and she barely resisted the urge to retreat. "Why are you only attempting to return it now?"

"I...I merely lost track of time."

"That is a lie. What did you hope to accomplish by bringing this to me?"

"I had hoped that you would use it. Perhaps you could ask Prince Kurthnaga for permission to enter Goldoa. It may do you good to get away from-" Ena was so startled by the sudden narrowing of the prince's eyes that she stopped mid-sentence.

"Goldoa?! Are you trying to get me killed? No, that is a foolish thing to ask. Of course you'd love to see that. So why send me away when you could kill me here? Unless you think it would be more fitting for Kurthnaga to correct his sister's mistakes."

Ena could have restrained herself if Soren had only accused her of wanting him dead; at times, even if she hated to admit it, that was exactly what she wanted. Or rather, she wished he hadn't been born in the first place. But to bring Kurthnaga into it, that was something she couldn't handle. Without stopping to consider her actions she slapped the prince with her free hand.

Soren was completely still for a second, before raising his hand and sending an elthunder spell at the dragon. It was only at the last moment that he redirected the attack to have it strike the wall instead, burning a large hole in the tapestry. Ena stared at him for a full minute before turning and running back the way she had come.

Once she was out of sight, Soren grabbed the sending stone from where Ena had dropped it and held it close. He wasn't sure if he wanted to use it or not. He leaned against the wall as he thought back on the way Ena had treated him in the past. In his early memories of her, she had been kind but strict, and always seemed to have a sad look in her eyes when talking to him. In the past five years she had retained that sadness, but the kindness had been replaced with what he could only assume was hatred. And then there was just a few minutes ago. That was the only time he had seen her afraid of anything. Had he really changed so much that he could frighten a full-grown dragon with a single spell?

It took him almost an hour to make up his mind.

* * *

His mother had promised to inform Kurthnaga about his arrival, and a servant had been ordered to prepare supplies for a long trip, so all that Soren had to do was get to Goldoa without being stopped or killed. For the most part, this was simple enough. The guards were accustomed to seeing him leave on his wyvern, and the longer he stayed away the happier they were, so they were unlikely to report him taking so many days' worth of food.

In theory, it would only get easier once he was out of sight of the keep. His wyvern was not eye-catching, being of the same breed that was given to new recruits unable to afford one on their own. Anyone seeing him from a distance would assume he was just a regular patrol. Unfortunately this made him easy prey for the Begnion border patrols.

Soren knew for a fact that he was still within the borders of Daein, and would have finished the pegasus knights off if he'd been able to cast spells. As it was, he had to be saved by their commander, who ordered her troops to fall back before turning and asking if he had been hurt. He continued his journey to Goldoa without answering her, and was relieved to see she didn't try to pursue him.

* * *

When he finally passed into Goldoa, he spent a few minutes circling the place where he was supposed to meet his uncle before he saw the small figure waving him down. He guided his mount to the ground and waited for Kurthnaga to approach him.

"Senerio?" Soren looked at him, wondering who Senerio was.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh," Kurthnaga paused to remember the name Soren usually went by, "would Soren be better?"

Soren slid from the wyvern's back. "I'm not sure I understand the difference."

As they walked to the nearby city, Kurthnaga explained that Soren had two names, one from each of his parents, as well as various things about their family and Goldoa itself. By the time they reached the city, Soren was comfortable with being called Senerio, and had decided that he would not be going to the palace.

They spent much of the rest of the day listening to a group of musicians in the town square. Soren had heard the music from a distance and had been unable to resist going toward it. He'd rarely listened to music before, and he considered even this small performance a treat. It wasn't until after the sun had set that the musicians packed up their instruments and the two princes headed for the mansion where they would be staying for the next several days.

The next day Kurthnaga left his nephew in the local library, saying that he had some things to take care of. This suited Soren just fine. He could ignore the stares of the Goldoans if he had to, but he would rather not have to put up with them at all. The weather was nice, so there were few people in the library to stare at him, and few things to distract him from his reading.

Unlike the day before, it was only mid-afternoon when Kurthnaga returned to the library and brought Soren back to the mansion. He didn't know what to make of it until Kurthnaga led him to a room that had been empty the night before, but was now filled with a collection of brand-new instruments.

The rest of the afternoon was spent trying out the instruments and trying to find one he liked. The stringed instruments hurt his fingers, and while he liked the sound of the brass ones when accompanied by other instruments, he found that without the accompaniment to be too harsh for him to enjoy. The woodwinds he found had a very soothing sound, but he didn't much like the concept of the reeds. Eventually he settled on a simple wooden flute, and would have spent the whole night figuring out how to play it if Kurthnaga hadn't been there to remind him that he needed sleep to live.

* * *

The following days were spent with Soren following Kurthnaga around the town and practicing the flute at every opportunity. He was much more comfortable in Goldoa than he had ever been in Daein. The weather was warmer, and Kurthnaga was the first person Soren had ever considered his friend, even if he was his uncle. If it weren't for an unexpected visitor, Soren would never have left.

It was late at night when the visitor arrived, and Soren would have ignored the arrival if he hadn't heard the door slam. He set the flute down on his desk and walked to his door, intending to go downstairs to see who had arrived, but only had to open his door to know that it would be in his best interest to stay put.

He could hear the visitor shouting from the other end of the building, but was unable to hear Kurthnaga's responses. At first it was nothing new. The visitor apparently wasn't happy with a Parentless being welcomed as a guest in Goldoa. Soren was about to resume his practicing when he heard the visitor say the name Rajaion. That was the name of his father's wyvern, but why would that matter to the man? Now that he was reminded of it, he found himself wondering where his father had gotten such a magnificent mount. His silent question was answered only a short time later.

Soren sank to the ground. How could Ashnard do such a thing? He shook his head. Ashnard could subject his son to mental torture, of course he could turn a stranger Feral if it suited his purposes. After that, he tuned out all sound, so he didn't hear the door slam once again as the visitor left, and didn't notice Kurthnaga approaching him until he was pulled to his feet and led back into his room.

The two of them sat on the edge of Soren's bed for a while before Soren broke the silence, "Who was that?"

Kurthnaga paused before answering, "Ena's grandfather, Nasir. Senerio, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have had to find out like that."

"I shouldn't have had to find out at all, because it shouldn't have happened at all." Soren paused to give Kurthnaga a chance to respond. When he didn't, Soren continued, "I will be leaving tomorrow."

* * *

The return trip to Daein was uneventful, but his arrival was worse than he had expected. He arrived just before midnight, hoping to avoid contact with anybody. As he rounded a corner, nearly walked into Ashnard, and a punch left him sprawled on the floor. He tried to push himself off the ground, but stopped as his throat made contact with Gurgurant's rounded tip.

"Where have you been?"

Soren still remembered what had happened the last time he had lied to the king, how he had barely been able to move for days afterward even after healers had been summoned, so he answered, "Goldoa . . . sir."

"You are never to leave the keep without my permission again, boy. Understood?" Gurgurant'e blade pressed into his throat, and Soren tensed as he felt blood run down his neck.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Snow. In April. I should be used to this by now, but I'm not.


End file.
